Show of Hands

I google how to fix anything if im not sure at first. Google is amazing.

My dad and i installed a brand new stereo system in the car, 4 new kicker speakers (2 front 2 back), cool looking deck, and a huge subwoofer in the back seat. Took us 13 hours.

I'm a contractor and I see houses every day where someone DIY it and they don't have a clue what they are doing most things are best left to the pros cas we know the rite people and how to get from point A to point B and do it RIGHT!!!!!

I'm pretty good around the house. By the time I'm done with a project I know exactly how it should have been done.

Had to happen sometime, pinky. Didn't it? =:-)

Hey, big surprise Susan! We agree on something. For once. Lol

I do things like wall-patching, painting, etc. But I leave the money- or life-endangering jobs (roofing, plumbing, electrical) to the professionals.

While even I love to screw around to learn how things work I would much rather have a pro get something done so I know it will actually work

Oops. Was supposed to be reply to Lutang just below.

And what if you cannot comfortably afford do hire someone else?

Wait a minute. I see your point, but now it's being unamerican to do something you can do perfectly well yourself instead of hiring someone else to do it?

Any Republican who complains about Obama and ObamaCare hurting small businesses, but subscribes to DIY, is a huge hypocrite. You're hurting small businesses directly and worse because it's your local community and economy.

When you DIY you hurt our economy. There are professionals who will do a better job than you, do it faster, do it right, and by hiring them we all keep businesses thriving. When you DIY you hurt the economy and end up with an inferior result.

Ill do it myself if I can. I've only had to call the landlord once for a leaking water heater.

Remember the old saying if you call first it's $200 if you call after your screw it up is $1000

What a wonderful dynamic, @EarlyBird! Being in such dove-tailed agreement, that we're racing to different phones, for a singular purpose! Who needs compromise?! :D

I'm retired, on disability. I can't do it anymore. (Although I drew the line at automotive and plumbing.)

I am a pro.

Zod - if I lived with you, I would trust you to handle it.
gonzo - if I lived with you, I'd respect your honesty and we would agree to make a call.
In my current situation, at the first sign of trouble, i race to the phone!

If I can't figure it out I give daddy a call. :)

I didn't take it as rude, Zod. I knew what you meant. No worries. ;)

EB the reason I prefer to do it myself, if I can, is because that's be only way I'll be sure it was done correctly. I've seen too many contractors cut corners. Meeting code is not the same as being as close to perfect as humanly possible, the difference between their standard and mine.

Small Projects DIY. Big ones call my Brother-in-law.

I am soooo uncoordinated and clueless when it comes to home repairs, I guess I gotta pay outta my #$@! :-[

DIY all the way. You can find solutions to most problems on the Internet anyway. A good demonstration of this principle, though not home repair, is my electric guitar. A little know-how and a soldering iron can save you HUNDREDS. It's not rocket science.

I do almost everything myself short of sewage stuff. That's where I draw the line o_o

Growing up my family built a house. We did all of the painting and staining. My dad ran most of the upgraded electrical wire and we put in all of the floors. Once we moved in we finished out a bedroom in the basement. I'm a DIY girl!

My husband is a rock star at DIY. He doesn't always know what to do, but when that happens, he reads about it and tries. A great turn on for me :-) I love that my husband wants to try to fix it. Now, that isn't to say he always does a great job. That's another story.

I love DIY projects. I fix leaks, lay floor tile, install ceiling fans, change faucets, paint, and all kinds of small things. But, I can't do HVAC or big electrical repairs. Not bad for a girl :)

I almost got on a roof as I was helping someone clean his yard of leaves, but I didn't know the half of how to stay on and he had spent his college years hauling shingling around, so I let him do that part while I moved the tarp for him ;)

If it's something like fix a chip on the wall, or wipe up a stain, DIY. But if it's the HVAC system that just blew or something of that caliber, I'd call a Pro. If the sink's leaking, it's both. Call a pro to get it taken care of while trying to stop the leak myself.

an electrician. He got advice from a few friends and figured out what to do two days without electricity is quite enough. The house should be rewired but that would be several thousands of dollars.

We found out that if you have to have electrical work done that requires turning off the box for electric feed to the house it has to be inspected by the state electrician before it is turned back on. We have an older house we had problems and so my husband really did not want to hire

EXACTLY what I do EB. Bob the Builder, I am not!

He teaches welding. I used to bake for his class. Teen boys work for homemade cinnamon rolls. He and our son painted the house last summer. Most things he can do. Our daughter lives with us she's a nurse. I'm a good cook so were covered.
Thank you.

I rent so I don't do shit :)

I've learned over the years what is best for me: don't ask family members, don't ask friends, don't attempt myself. Go directly to the phone and call a pro for the job.
Saves me time, frustration, and gives peace of mind. I know it will be done correctly.

Haha... Good one :-)

You definitely want to go with someone who know what they're Doing with electrical, plumbing, and the heater air con... The rest you can't damage a whole lot of expensive stuff that couldn't be easily fixed.

And I'm having to boil water from stove just to wash dishes!
I've learned my lesson, again.

Zod - it's as if you lived here a day! it's everything you described especially about waiting for the weather to be perfect!
Unfortunately the water heater that he's been working on over a week, controls the kitchen sink an

Roof, windows & electrical we've hired the pros. But the balance of restoring this 130+ yr old house, we diy. It's hard work, timely & costly but worth it. (Thx Dad, those construction sites as a toddler/child were great playgrounds.)

It depends on the cost. We have a home warranty with a $75 deductible. If it's going to cost more than that, then we use their pro -- even if hubby could do it. It's mostly a case of hubby not having enough time and not enough know how.

I said hire a pro, but my husband is the pro I use. So maybe it counts as DIY?

yep and then the dyiers call me to fix their messup at double the price

How opportune, Ms. Tops! If you were ever in need of repairs, "Mr. TopsKing" could bring his shop class over for home repairs, aka 'class', and it would double-up as a class 'field trip'! Have plenty o' cookies ready, @TopsQueen! :D

Well I usually will do some on my own or call up family or a family friend to do it. Rather pay someone I know to do that I know I can trust.

I let the hubby do it.

I am a democrat, so as a moocher I would much rather someone else do the work for me.

I'm a single female who owns a house. I will paint and stuff on my own, but generally turn to pros for more complicated stuff. I don't mind paying someone to do it right - a lot of people make their living this way, and I'm more than happy to pay a local company to help me out.