With the abundance of remodeling programming available on television, and countless inspiration accounts across social media, many homeowners feel confident taking on home improvement projects without the help of a professional. However attempting a renovation that should be left to a professional can lead to wasted money, wasted times, and squabbles with loved ones, according to a Porch study polling 1,187 respondents on "do it yourself" home improvements. Connecticut newspaper The Day reports on several of the main findings of the study, including one-third of DIYers attempted projects to save money and younger homeowners are more likely to try projects without professionals.
Respondents who made a mistake during the project often had to spend several more hours completing the task compared to those who finished the job without issue. On average, mistakes resulted in 5.5 extra hours of work. Mistakes with flooring installation were most likely to extend a project, more than doubling the average time necessary to complete the work. The average installation with no mistakes took a respondent 13 hours to complete, while a mistake added an average of 13.8 hours.
A mistake in an electrical wiring job increased average time necessary to complete the work from 5.9 hours to 12.8 hours. Plumbing work and the installation of a ceiling fan also ate up a great deal of time when a mistake occurred, adding an average of 6.5 hours. Mistakes with an appliance installation were more easily remedied, typically adding less than an hour to the project.
Mistakes also put a significant dent in respondents' bank accounts, with the average flub increasing the price of a project by $310. The average flooring installation job cost $711 when done without errors, but ballooned to $1,540 if a mistake occurred. Electrical projects were inexpensive when done correctly, but several times more expensive if the respondent made a mistake. The typical error-free replacement of an electrical outlet cost $118, but the cost multiplied nearly five times to $563 with a mistake. On average, an error added $306 to the $146 cost of installing a ceiling fan and $255 to the $140 cost of an electrical wiring job.
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