Thinking about DIY? Why you should leave some jobs to the professionals

All the time we've spent at home over the past two years, with lockdowns and isolation during the coronavirus pandemic has got us thinking about repair jobs and things we'd like to update.

There are jobs around the house that aspiring renovators can do like painting, or getting in the garden — which can be very therapeutic — or even getting your hands dirty with some flat pack assembly.

But you should also expect the unexpected, because emergency jobs can pop up and a lot of these need to be done by a professional. Plumbing and electrical jobs often can't be postponed and if you leave them too long it can snowball.

The knock-on effect from leaving some of these jobs can become a huge cost — for example a small roof leak may result in significant water damage if not attended to, or botched by a dodgy DIY job.

According to hipages research, Aussie homeowners spend $3.53 billion annually on hiring tradies to fix DIY gone wrong. Stuart Tucker, Chief Customer Officer at hipages, explained there are jobs you really need to hire a professional for — these include:

Plumbing jobs

Although simple plumbing jobs such as unclogging a drain or fixing a leaky tap can usually be tackled by an amateur handyman without any problems, larger repairs or installations should never be attempted without the help of a professional plumber.

Electrical jobs

Electrical work should never be attempted without the help of a properly licensed electrician due to the high risks associated with DIY-ing electrical work — in fact, in some states you're required to use a licensed tradie even to change your light bulbs.

Repairing property damage

Property damage may range from clogged drains to leaky roofs and water damage. So when considering whether to tackle a job yourself or bring in a professional, you'll need to look at the scale of the job, the risks involved, and what sort of time commitment would be required.

Home extensions and renovations

When it comes to DIY projects, reality TV renovation shows have given people a false perception of the work involved and the potential for costly mistakes. Registered builders are well-versed with the building process and understand how to keep a build on schedule with quality control in check, while maintaining safety standards.

Using technology can help, from quoting a job over FaceTime to sending your tradie photos of the issue or build so they can check it out before visiting your home.

Technology can also aid with contactless payment at the end of a job, avoiding the need to handle cash on either end. The hipages platform allows you to make payments directly to your tradie at the completion of a job. Many tradies also have credit card payment facilities as well.

These are some simple ways that allow homeowners and tradies to continue getting jobs done around the home.