During lockdown, have you been tempted to tackle those niggly DIY jobs around the house? Maybe you’ve been making a mental note to get up on the roof and clear the gutters? If so, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey, over half of us have picked up on cracks and faults in the home.
But, while wanting to do some quick-fixes isn’t necessarily a bad thing, attempting some of these jobs yourself has the potential to make matters worse – both for your property and for your own health. Sometimes, it’s time to leave these things to the professionals.
What have we been doing during the pandemic?
One of the key trends that has cropped up during the last few months has been a resistance to hire anyone to come in and carry out essential work around the home. This has been largely down to homeowners worrying about contracting Covid-19. This implies that there have been more us either putting up with faulty plumbing and wonky electrics or we’ve been attempting some quick-fixes of our own.
The DIY jobs to avoid
From making additions to bathrooms to installing pipes, there are lots of jobs that we’ve attempted during lockdown that would usually be left to the experts. While being stuck at home might mean that you’ve been itching to attempt some repairs, there are some that really do need qualified professionals to fix.
For example, cleaning your gutters can be a difficult task if you do not have access to the correct equipment, and therefore reaching out to a team of gutter cleaning professionals is strongly recommended. Moreover, nowadays, an online search can make it easy to track down home improvement service providers operating in your area within minutes. A simple online search for ‘Gutter Cleaning Houston‘ if you live in the US, or ‘gutter cleaning London’ if you live in the UK might be all it takes. Above all, some jobs are best left to the professionals so do not be afraid to outsource any home improvement tasks that you do not feel confident about tackling on your own.
Some of the key DIY jobs to avoid include:
- Anything involving electricity – certain electrical jobs need to be signed off before any work can be attempted. Plus, there is a real risk of electrocution for those who aren’t used to working with wiring and fuse boxes
- Gas repairs – like electricity, gas is an area that is best left to the expert technicians. Gas Safe registered engineers are the only people who should attempt any work, otherwise, you could be putting yourself and others in the area at risk
- Plumbing jobs – if you don’t know your way around your U-bend, you’re better off calling in for help. While the fallout of a botched plumbing job is not necessarily as detrimental as gas and electricity faults, you do risk flooding your property if you don’t know what you’re doing.
By only attempting the smaller jobs, we’re less likely to be injured.
Back to business
However, as we slowly come out of quarantine, we’re likely to stop being tempted to try these things for ourselves as more people are calling for help from professionals rather than trying to fix these things themselves. Now that lockdown rules are easing, it could be time to book in the experts.
Image: Unsplash
