Do the work or pay someone?

All those problems could be related. We had similar drainage problems occurring in several locations of the house. Turns out that solving a problem in one of the bathrooms also resolved the problems in the other bathroom and kitchen.


And yes, we shipped out the problem. We had enough work to do from cleaning up the mess.

Around the house, I do the work. I need help with automobiles.

The plumbing is a different issue. The drain on the upstairs shower has separated from the base of the shower and leaked into the dining room. I cut a hole in the ceiling and thought I could patch it but I couldn't. The downstairs shower leaks when you pull the little plug up that stops water from coming out faucet and redirects the water to the shower head. The leak is in the pipe going up the wall. I can see the pipe from the basement so i can see the leak, but access is poor.

The dishwasher broke a week ago and I fixed it by taking the drain apart and found a piece of glass. 2 nights ago we heard a bang and the display on dishwasher was blinking ER... turned power off but never came on. Guy at store said it "could be control board, sensor near drain or drain motor." I instead bought a new dishwasher from Sears tonight and now I am wishing I paid the install fee... ugh

Both. You could learn something.

Sears does a lot of repairs too! My 15 year old furnace wasn't working - two companies told me I need a new furnace and when I called Sears, they came out, said the panel was broken, it probably would cost around $ 400 - plus installation. I paid, they installed it and guaranteed it for 3 months. It's been 2.5 years and the furnace is working great!
They do repair all kinds of appliances, install them too, but unfortunately, no plumbing work.

All the time. I feel that, as long as I make enough that repairs and maintenance aren't a big drag on our means, why should I do something that is guaranteed by a pro?
Anyway, our status may be a bit different because we are a working farm and almost everything is tied to the operations (power, water, gas, computer wifi, vehicles except for one)

It depends whether I have the time or the expertise for any job that needs doing.

Basic electrics OK, as with basic plumbing. Plastering, painting, carpentry, groundwork I usually do myself, but when it gets a bit big and heavy, I usually get a pro.

I have been victorious over the dishwasher! Oh it resisted. It did not want to play nice, but I made it succumb to my will.

/hires McG to come over and help with our occasionally temperamental washing machine/

We do that, probably more than we should. But this house is over a century old. Sometimes parts need to be completely replaced as the old stuff just isn't available anymore.

I mean, we have horsehide lath in some of our walls.

Either my husband or I did most stuff for a lot of years, except electrical and some plumbing. Oh, and roofing. And when we remodeled, we had a concrete contractor I knew pour us some foundation work and porch (my details). At one point I rebuilt our 1914 garage myself, having help only with drilling a couple of holes into concrete. But that was then.

Now, no way. Although.... I may try my hand at building a new gate (have designed plenty of gates and fencing, still have my detail drawings if I need to check something). Maybe this spring..

It's better if you pay someone to do the work because if you do it yourself, you might just cause more damage. But I think, it is also better if you teach yourself how to fix things around the house.

Sometimes if you can find the time to DIY it can be fun if you enjoy it. I like to participate in my home renovations but my hubby plays the foreman.

Pay someone to get done something you are not familiar with. You are just wasting your time and energy.

If you have any idea to fix your problem better do it with your own. Instead of paying someone.

For Framing ,roofing , building, any major electricity and plumbing I usually contract out. Reason is, their work is waranteed and covered by insurance. I had a 5000 sq ft building (in 2 floors, designed and built as a farm outbuilding and office and studio for Ms F and me and it was built on a footprint of an arlier building that was gtting seedy. The concrete footprint was expanded, and the whole thing was done by an AMish Contractor in less than 3 months (In the winter). They painted an did finished carpentry in the spring. AND, Weve been perfectly happy with it for 4 years.The builder subbed out the electricity ad wifi and plumbers did the in and out (it adjoins a 10 acre paddock area)

I know a guy who was always doing his own plumbing and because our water is acidic and "country style", hed always have a mess with grit and pH doing damage. They make gizmos to deal with that an the contractors use their own experts when they need tech help..

A long time ago, long before this thread was created, I fancied myself a bit of a do-it-yourselfer. Our first home saw me renovating the living room, building out a sun room, building a new office in basement.
I traded an electrician computer work for his electric work. Was a fair trade.

This morning, I almost needed help getting off the toilet. The times they are a changing...

I'd rather hire someone to do it for me many times I tried DIY but instead of fixing, I just made the situation worse. Not unless if I'm a 100% sure about fixing it.

Even it you don't make it worse, it's still possible to spend more doing it yourself.