Pros and Cons to DIY Home Renovation

Completing home renovations yourself can be backbreaking but rewarding work. Saving money is never a bad thing but there’s a time and place for frugality. Cutting corners on certain home repairs may be hazardous to one's health.

Knowing the difference between a money-saving opportunity and when splurging on professional resources is required is no easy feat. Read on to get a better idea of when saving or spending may be most prudent.

Money Saver

PAINTING: A fresh coat of paint is hardly laborious, a quick and thrifty option. Breaking out the rollers and brushes can dramatically change a room. Interior painting — trim, walls, and doors — can transform a dull space into the dream room that you’ve always wished for. Additionally, painting is an activity that can involve the entire family. Enable everyone in your home to make decisions and allow them input in color selection. Painting is a low risk way to try out different personas for each room. Here you'll have the ability to experiment with different colors, shades and borders knowing it can easily be changed in the near future. Through the use of painters tape you can get more complicated and feature intricate designs, like a striped accent wall or other fun personal elements.

WINDOW TREATMENTS: Similar to painting, updating window treatments has the ability to frame a room in an entirely new light. Window treatments may not seem like the most exciting design element but there’s surprisingly many options to consider and play around with! Valances, drapes, and blinds are only the tip of the iceberg. While choosing something in line with current fads is not always wise, window treatments are a great way to be in the moment without committing to a long-term DIY project.



Experiment with patterns and different fabrics to find something that fits in your space. Different window treatment lengths and textures can be used to adjust, or filter, the amount of light in a room. Allowing more light into a space can make the room appear larger than it truly is.

REFINISHING FURNITURE: Refinishing a piece of furniture can make something rather bland into a fresh and new statement piece. Taking garage sale finds and making them into a one of a kind piece of furniture is a great way to cut costs and hone your eye for design at the same time. Refinishing furniture is quite an umbrella term and can include staining/painting, reupholstering, adding new hardware or anything else you feel can elevate a piece that you’ve become bored with or is a “new to you” find.

Splurge

ON INSPECTIONS: Splurging on inspections is very important. Unless you have proper training there’s no way to DIY test for some of the most common household toxins. Having your home tested for toxins before any major, or minor, home renovations is an important first step to safeguard the health of you and your family. Some of the most common household toxins to inspect for are asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead, and radon. All four toxins are invisible to the naked eye, meaning there is no way for the average person to easily identify if it’s an issue in their home. Both asbestos and lead were commonly used in older homes so before completing any renovations that involve deconstruction professionals should be sought if your home was built prior to 1980.

MAJOR DECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS: Even after completing the necessary and recommended inspections there is always risk involved with major deconstruction or demolition. Contractors and construction crews should be hired if you want to dramatically change the layout of your home in order to eliminate risks related to; exposure to poor air quality, improperly removing necessary structural elements of the home (example: wall removal) or self-injury.

Reasons for Splurging

HEALTH BENEFITS: The splurges may seem a bit costly, but investing in your home now can save you from unnecessary medical spending in the long run. For instance, asbestos abatement is pricey costing thousands of dollars but exposure to the toxin can result in mesothelioma cancer. Prognosis is poor for cancer and it can ultimately cost you your life. Lead, carbon monoxide, and radon also have negative health consequences that can lead to increased medical bills and poor quality of life.

TOXIN AWARENESS: Being aware of the potential toxin risk that may be hidden away if your home can help to cut costs effectively without compromising on your health. Find healthy and fun outlets for creativity that allow ownership of a space but don’t be stingy when it’s necessary to outsource the higher risk repairs.

Mesothelioma Awareness Day is September 26 - take this day as a reminder that every action has a consequence and empower yourself with the facts necessary to make DIY fun and harmless.

 

This article was shared by our friends at  Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, a group of professionals dedicated to providing resources, information, and support to individuals and families suffering from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.