Non-Environmental Cost-Benefit News

From the moment early man first successfully rolled a rock in front of his cave to keep out the cold, do-it-yourself projects have both enthralled and humbled us.


The premise is enticing. For the price of the materials alone you can have that new floor, tiled kitchen or luxe bathroom. Books, videos and television all contribute to the myth of the happy homeowner who spends a few hours tiling away in his new addition. His project looks picture perfect. It isn't much of a leap to imagine yourself doing the same.


The truth is that it can take a lifetime for a do-it-yourselfer to master home improvement skills such as plumbing, bricklaying or cabinet-making. And as anyone will tell you after emerging broken and bleeding from a particularly messy project that has taken twice as long as was planned, cost two or three times what was budgeted and looked only half as good as was dreamed: The learning curve is steep for many projects, and in order to achieve the best result you have to know when to hire a professional.


You should ask yourself a few more questions that you won't find listed with the instructions for your project.


First, you need to place a value on learning that specific skill. How often will you use the skill or similar ones? Even though it can take time to learn well, a skill such as laying tile could come into play many times in home renovations and repairs -- bath, kitchen, counters, back splash, entryway or basement. A professional tile setter will charge about $4 and up to set each square foot of tile. Depending on the choice of tile, the setting fee can be much as the tile, doubling the cost of the project. If time isn't too important, learning how to do it yourself may be a good alternative because you will be able to use your skill elsewhere in your house.


Unlike tile setting, painting is a relatively simple job that many people try at least once.


Professionals point out that some job estimates, even for such seemingly simple projects as interior painting, are for full service. The extra cost is for all the care taken to provide an experience that will completely relieve the homeowner of the chore at hand. For example, LeGrand moves out all the furniture from the rooms he paints, places drop cloths over the floors and repairs any irregularities in the walls and ceiling. When he finishes, he vacuums and leaves the room in top shape.


For the more adventurous, another frequently used skill is basic plumbing. Because this skill is frequently needed and fairly easily mastered, the time invested usually pays for itself with the first repair. Home improvement stores occasionally run free classes on the basics and these same skills are nearly always included in home repair books. It is generally agreed upon by even the most enthusiastic do-it-yourselfers that serious plumbing issues are best left to professionals.


All things being equal, a simple cost-benefit analysis can be helpful. Many homeowners use some variation of the following: First take your hourly take-home wage and multiply it by the hours you think it will take you to learn how to do the project and to complete it. Add on any costs for supplies that the contractor may have provided in his estimate, such as dropcloths and brushes used during painting projects. Add on the cost of any time for work you might miss at your regular job. The total is your do-it-yourself cost.


Compare that with the professional estimate, minus an "aggravation fee." This fee is the amount that you would be willing to pay to make the work go away. For some people, this figure will be small. The money saved and the personal satisfaction from doing it themselves will make the project seem like a bargain. For those who hate plumbing, painting or any number of other jobs, the figure can be quite high, high enough to make hiring a pro seem like a bargain. A simple compare-and-contrast exercise makes the choice easier.


by Molly Keith Neal page F.01
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