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Home Maintenance: The Pros and Cons of DIY Versus Calling in the Professionals

Home Maintenance: The Pros and Cons of DIY Versus Calling in the Professionals

While a DIY project can bring a sense of accomplishment, certain home tasks are best left to the pros. We break down when to DIY and when to hire top-rated experts to save time, money, and your sanity

The DIY dilemma

There’s a certain pride that comes with tackling a home project on your own, right? Whether it’s painting a wall, assembling furniture, or finally hanging that shelf you’ve been eyeing – there’s an undeniable satisfaction in the process. But DIY isn’t always the time-and-money saver we imagine it to be. In fact, sometimes the project you think will take a Saturday afternoon ends up dragging into next month’s nightmare, not to mention an extra bill from a professional who now has to clean up the mess.

The decision to go DIY or call in a pro depends on more than just your enthusiasm. It’s about time, cost-effectiveness, and, let’s be honest, whether you really want to end up with a leaking toilet because you ‘thought’ you could manage the plumbing fix yourself.

The benefits of DIY (when it works)

There’s no denying that DIY can be rewarding. If you’ve ever successfully installed a new light fixture or repainted a room, you’ll know the thrill of admiring your handiwork. You’ve saved money, learned a new skill, and earned some serious bragging rights.

Here’s when DIY can be your best bet

  1. Small, non-technical jobs
    Tasks like painting, gardening, or changing light bulbs are safe to handle yourself and can be great for weekend warriors. These don’t require specialised knowledge, just a bit of patience and maybe a YouTube tutorial here and there.
  2. The personal touch
    DIY can add a personal, creative flair to your space. Want to build a quirky bookshelf? It’s the kind of project that lets you flex your inner artist while adding unique charm to your home.
  3. Cost-saving (sometimes…)
    DIY is often seen as a cheaper alternative – and, in some cases, it is. But you need to factor in the cost of materials, tools, and time. Sometimes, what you save in labour costs ends up being spent elsewhere. Plus, if you make a mistake, the redo can end up costing more than if you’d just hired someone who knows what they’re doing (and is qualified to do it) in the first place.

The pitfalls of DIY (when it doesn’t quite work)

What starts as a simple task ends up requiring trips to the hardware store, endless YouTube videos, and ‘oh no’ moments when you realise you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. DIY fails aren’t just about wasted weekends; they can cost you financially too.

  1. Complex projects = costly mistakes
    Sure, you could try tiling your own bathroom, but get one measurement wrong, and you’ll be staring at a crooked floor for the next five years – or worse, having to pay a professional to fix it.
  1. Time drain
    If you’re DIY-ing something that’s out of your depth, expect it to take far longer than anticipated. You could be stuck working on that deck all summer instead of enjoying it. And do you really have the time (and energy) to fix the leaky tap at 10pm on a Sunday?
  1. Safety first
    Some jobs – electrical work, plumbing, or anything that involves heavy machinery – come with risks. If something goes wrong, you could face serious injury or expensive damages, as well as impacting your household insurance cover. These are situations where it’s just not worth rolling the dice.

Enter the professionals: you already know when it’s time to call in the experts, right?

The beauty of hiring professionals is that they do this for a living. They’ve got the experience, the know-how, and the right tools to get the job done efficiently and correctly. Here’s why bringing in an expert can often be the smarter choice:

  1. Expertise you can trust
    A professional knows what they’re doing. They have the training, experience, and equipment that make them far better equipped to handle home maintenance tasks and renovations than the average weekend warrior. You’re not just paying for labour; you’re paying for peace of mind.
  2. Long-term savings
    While it may seem like hiring a pro costs more upfront, it can save you money in the long run. Quality work lasts – plus, if you mess up a DIY project, you’ll have to pay someone to fix it anyway.
  3. Speed and efficiency
    Pros generally do in a day what would take you a week. They have systems, teams, and tools that help them complete tasks efficiently. Imagine reclaiming your weekends instead of being stuck with a half-finished home improvement project… yup, you know the answer here.

What about cost-effectiveness?

When weighing the cost of DIY versus hiring a professional, remember to consider the hidden costs of doing it yourself: the tools you’ll need to buy or rent, the extra materials for inevitable mistakes, as well as your time. There’s also the cost of frustration. How much is your sanity worth?

With a platform like Kandua, you can connect with top-rated professionals in seconds, getting the job done right the first time. Whether it’s fixing the plumbing in the bathroom or adding a new feature wall, Kandua makes it easier (and more affordable) than ever to find reliable experts, no matter the task.

A balance between DIY and professional help

There’s a time and a place for DIY. If it’s a low-risk project that you’re excited about, go ahead, and roll up your sleeves. But when it comes to anything complex, technical, or dangerous, the best thing you can do is admit that you are not Bob the Builder and call in the experts. Kandua gives you access to skilled, top-rated professionals who can tackle any home project – saving you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches. From quick fixes to major renovations, their services are designed to keep your home in tip-top shape without the added stress.

It’s tempting to want to do everything yourself, we know – especially with the wealth of online tutorials convincing you it’s easy. But knowing when to hand over the reins to a professional can save you a lot of trouble. After all, you want to enjoy your home, not spend every weekend fixing it. For every home project that you need to tackle, there’s a Kandua pro ready to help. Whether you’re dealing with a plumbing disaster or just need a fresh coat of paint, visit Kandua today to find a trusted expert near you.

DIY when you can, hire a pro when you should!

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Actually, Home Food and Travel offers a lot more than just reviews of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.  We also visit great destinations, receive advice from interior designers and stop to smell the roses and taste the coffee.

Our team of journalists are seasoned travels and love visiting the myriad of exciting places around South Africa.  Whether it is off the beaten track or in the heart of the top attractions of the country, we’ll be there,

Home Food and Travel advice on finding the right accommodation

So what is the right accommodation?  Well more often than not, it’s your travel budget that dictates the type of accommodation that you choose. 

Expensive is not always better.  Our team at Home Food and Travel will tell you that they have camped in areas with limited ablutions and had a wonderful holiday.  They have also spent a night in a five star hotel only to be disappointed because their expectations exceeded the experience.

The reason for your travels will also affect your choice.  A business trip requires different amenities to a beach holiday. 

Our articles, reviews and experiences can certainly help you make your decision.

Restaurants with a good mix of service, food and ambiance

To my mind a great restaurant offers three things – excellent service, great food and a wonderful ambiance.  Of these, service is the most important. 

No matter that the food is delicious and the setting delightful, poor service can ruin the occasion.  However, great service combined with mediocre meal and a plane jane restaurant can still be a pleasant night out.

We’ve eaten in restaurants that are really dirty but with incredible food and couldn’t help but give a rave review.  We’ve also hardly noticed what we ate because the setting was just amazing.

However, the best restaurants come with the best of service, food and ambiance.

Spas are the ultimate relaxation aid

How do you know when you have had a great spa experience?  The answer, of course, is when you doze off on the treatment table. 

Well that’s our theory anyway.  It also doesn’t take a grand location with enormous facilities for a spa to be really good

A small, personal spa that is owner run can result in the best massage you have ever experienced.  However, the grand spas in five star hotels offer unsurpassed facilities in an environment that just makes the stress in your shoulders and neck melt away before you even finish checking in.

Adventure!

You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy an exciting experience.  In fact, what are commonly termed adventure activities usually have incredibly high safety standards and unblemished safety records.

Ziplining, bungy jumping and shark cage diving are all very safe.  It’s just that our mind tells us we are craaazzzzyyyy to be doing this.

On the road to great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities

If you’re driving, be safe and make use of all the wonderful farm stalls that populate South Africa’s open roads.

If you overhear somebody asking a lot of questions or see someone taking photos of empty bedrooms chances are it’s one of our Home Food and Travel team members.

We’re out looking or those great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.

See you on the road!

 

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