If you are fortunate enough to be able to secure a top property on the cheap, then you have the opportunity to flip a house or just renovate it for your own personal needs and use. However, just because you have found a project or two you can do and are qualified to take care of it doesn’t mean that you should feel comfortable doing every renovation by yourself. When it comes to certain items on the list, you should always defer to an inspector or a professional, because safety in a home cannot be understated.
Mold and Remediation
According to Web Wire, when you have mold damage, you need to take a step back and reconsider everything that a house might have meant to you before. On the one hand, mold does occur quite often, and there is a chance that the mold you see might not be that bad. After all, if you’ve ever had fruit sit out for too long or have had leftovers in the fridge for a few days too many, then you have already seen and have been exposed to mold. There are many types of mold that might not be a major concern, and with hundreds or even more strains of mold, only a handful can cause significant problems.
On the other hand, mold can be very problematic and can mean a lot of things. For example, besides the fact that seeing evidence of mold might mean it is in the house and is being exposed to everything else in the house, you also have to consider what it means from a health point of view. What if the mold is hidden behind the walls as well and will only spring up a few months down the line? What if you are allergic to it? What if the only reason the mold is there is because it is an indicator that water leaks are present and you could have flooding in the basement every time a hard rain occurs? When it comes to mold, you can’t play any sort of games. You have to be sure you work with a contracted professional to help you solve the problem once and for all.
Major Landscaping Fixes
When it comes time to simply cut the grass or add some lawn decorations, there are reasons why you could feel comfortable doing it yourself. After all, if you have a mower and are comfortable with a solid day’s worth of work, then there isn’t any problem. However, there are circumstances when you need to be comfortable letting someone else take care of all of the details. For certain properties and in certain locations, you have to know that it will be just a little bit more difficult to do major landscaping work yourself.
If you are looking for aproperty projectwith DDProperty, then you will be able to use the search functions to find a project within your reach and capabilities. Basic upkeep and lawn maintenance are all part of home ownership, but things like tree trimming and stump removal, building a retaining wall, or even working with drainage issues could all be issues you need to defer to the experts on. When it comes to not only protecting your home but also being able to get the job and project done right the first time, then you have to make sure you are confident in your work, but you must also know when you are no longer an expert and need to call someone else in.
Old and Outdated (Dangerous) Materials
When looking over the shortlist of items that Virtua says to never attempt all on your own, the thing to remember is that the olden days were different. People built things that they didn’t know how to fully do, they used materials without being aware of the consequences, and they even put things together that could lead to long term problems. When you get into certain items in a home or find a few specific materials, then it is best to just let licensed professionals deal with the removal. Some of those specifics could be lead paint or asbestos, but the list really doesn’t stop there. Inefficient means of building or using cheap wood could be a problem, and you could find many shortcuts that were taken back in the day simply because it was the best (and only) way of doing things at the time.
Knob and Tube Electrical
If you have ever seen the wiring systems that were used almost one hundred years ago as the common practice, then you have seen what knob and tube wiring is. While it is absolutely a viable form of electrical transfer throughout a home and was one of the best ways to have access to electricity at the time, knob and tube wiring is also dangerous. Unless you are a certified electrician, you would most likely need to both call in a professional for the removal of the old system, as well as have a professional on hand to run the new wiring throughout your house.
Knob and tube isn’t necessarily bad as far as wiring goes; it is just unsafe. The last thing you would want to do is to bring your family or a loved one (or even yourself) into a home that is simply unsafe and is more susceptible to fire. The main problems that occur with knob and tube have to deal with the insulation or the wires eroding over time, and the fact that you could easily have exposed wires as a result. Throw in the fact that the technology behind this system is over 100 years old, and there is reason to believe that if you find a house with this behind the walls, you should very well defer to an expert.
Gas Lines
Gas by itself is a very dangerous and silent threat. If you have a gas leak, then you could actually be inhaling very dangerous fumes as well as the fact that all it will take is a single spark or exposure to a flame (a lighter, a cooking stove, or other sources of fire) before the whole place could go up and catch on fire. Gas is a tremendously powerful and efficient substance at the same time, however, so if you need to correct a gas problem or run a new gas line, then you need to be sure you are either one hundred percent confident and certified to deal with the issue, or you need to be able to bring in someone who knows exactly what they are doing and won’t start a major problem with your house being the kindling.
Regardless of the type of project you are looking to conquer, you just need to remember the simple idea, which is this: you can’t know everything. When it comes to certain issues, you can either attempt to do them yourself and possibly expose yourself to some pretty dangerous stuff, or you could figure out who does it for a living and defer to their expertise. Some things are dangerous, and there is no reason to take extra risks just to say you did a project on your own.
