As economies grew tougher to survive, people have been taking certain steps to ensure their existence. One of such steps that people have been undertaking is to do things on their own instead of seeking the help of a professional. They call it ‘DIY’ or ‘do-it-yourself’. You are probably already accustomed to the name due to it’s mounting popularity during recent days, and also because of television shows and blogs that helped scatter the idea like a plague among the masses.
However, in reality, the actual DIY concepts are much more complicated and time-consuming than what they appear to be in television and magazines. It might seem that DIY projects are cheap, take less labor, and can be wrapped up quickly without any hassle. However, the true story is completely different. A lot of things go behind DIY stories and if you try without anyone’s help, it can cost you dearly in the end. Apart from the costs and time involved in DIY projects, there can be serious damages if you’re not good at the art, and may ultimately lead to serious homeowners insurance claims.
Hence, before you embark on a DIY mission, make sure you know the most common DIY mistakes and how to avoid them. Consider the following common DIY mistakes so that you don’t end up with costly repercussions:
1) Not obtaining the right permit - or any permit at all
The general mass might believe otherwise, but permits carry several important purposes rather than just being a money making machinery of the city or county government. One of the prime reasons why you should obtain a permit for your DIY projects is just to protect yourself and make sure you don’t get hurt. Often, people avoid permits due to the costs involved. However, not acquiring one can be costlier. Additionally, permits are essential so that your city or state knows who to place liability on if there is any kind of loss. For instance, if a storm tears apart your electricity box, the power company would require you to replace the box in order to restore power. In most states, you need a permit to get a new power box added. Additionally, it’s also required that a licensed contractor does the entire replacement before the power company touches anything. The reason is very simple - the replaced box is eventually going to connect with the rest of the neighborhood’s power lines, and if something goes wrong, the city authority would want to know about the recent developments so that liability is shifted from the city and power company to the homeowner. Finally, homeowner insurance companies are dead against claims resulting due to any mishap where the claimant went negligent and embarked on DIY projects without any permit and a licensed contractor.2) Working in an unsafe environment
If you are not a pro or not familiar with the repairs you’re going to do on-your-own, you’re probably up for a disaster that’s going to hurt you and other people. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 164K people a year go the emergency room from ladder accidents alone. Each and every home improvement project associates risks, and if you ignore them, you're making a big mistake. You’re simply putting your home insurance policy at stake. If you or someone gets heavily injured while working in your home, your insurance is going to deny the entire claim making you liable to pay for the lawsuit and medical expenses as you had taken no precautionary steps nor did you had any relevant expertise. Even if your claim is accepted, the premiums are going to be much higher than what they used to be.3) Just measuring once
If you know the art, you are probably very much aware that the rule of the thumb is to measure twice and cut once. You might not understand the vitality of the act, if you’re not a pro, but when it comes to serious things like hanging drywall, putting in walls, floors, cabinets, or pipes, this is a standard procedure, and ignoring what can result in losses. Not only should you err on the side of caution of measuring something, you should err on the side of ‘long.’ If you want to cut something shorter, you can do it. But you can never cut something longer. So, take a number of measurements to make sure that you’re error-free. If a plan of your fails, you’ll stand for an astronomical homeowners insurance claim, or worse yet, a life insurance claim for you or someone else. It is fun to assume DIY projects, but in order to be safe, you should carefully research your coursework beforehand. It’s also helpful to shadow the work of a professional during your early DIY projects.Blog Category