My Constant Struggle — DIY vs. Hiring Out
One of the hardest things for me to do is to hire out a job that I know I’m capable of doing myself. I struggle with that so much, and even when I know it makes sense to just hire it out and let someone else do that job while I’m concentrating on something else, it’s still so hard for me.
It’s not that I feel like I have something to prove to myself or anyone else. After all of the things I’ve done, either by myself or with help, on this house over the last ten years, I don’t feel like I have anything else to prove to myself. I know I’m capable. So most of the time, it comes down to money. It’s just so hard for me to write a check to someone else when I know I could have saved that money by doing it myself.
And that brings me to our bedroom progress…or lack thereof. I am the type of person who can sometimes take forever to make a decision. But once that decision is made, and I’m ready to move forward, I actually want it done yesterday. Or last week. So when I realized that the floor and subfloor needed to be taken up, and new subfloor and flooring installed, I called a guy who has done a lot of work on our house in the past to get an estimate from him.
He was on vacation when I called, so I had to wait about two weeks for him to get back and come look at the room. Then he took a couple of days to get me an estimate. Then I noticed a couple of things left off of the estimate, so he revised the estimate. And when I got the new estimate, that’s when my DIY brain took over.
The estimate came to $5,250. That’s for taking out the current hardwood flooring and subfloor, and also removing the walls that form the closet area. To refresh your memory, here’s what that looks like now…
So all of these walls will come out to square up the room and make the room feel bigger.
That means we’ll gain about 32 inches, and this wall will be uninterrupted all the way to the current TV wall.
And then this wall will end at this white line, and then wrap back around to the right towards the bedroom door.
The view from the bedroom door will look so much better because about 32 inches of this wall on the left will be removed.
Those are all just closet walls, so none of them are load bearing. The back wall (i.e. the TV wall) of the closet area is load bearing, but that wall is staying put.
Once all of that is removed, they’ll patch the drywall, install new under-floor insulation, new vapor barrier, and new subfloor. When they’re done, I’ll install the new hardwood flooring, and then sand, stain, and seal it.
As I said, once I got the estimate, my DIY brain kicked in. I don’t at all mean to insinuate that their time and effort in doing that job isn’t worth the estimated cost. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable estimate. But at the same time, $5,250 isn’t a small amount of money, and my DIY brain always want to convince me that I could just do it myself and save money.
I’m fully capable of removing non-load-bearing walls. While I hate patching drywall, it’s something I’ve had to do countless times. And while I’d probably want to bring in help, I’m certainly capable of ripping up flooring and subfloor. I’ve done that, too, and the last time I did it, my family came and helped me, and we made quick work of it. Except that time, we were tearing out drywall and old insulation on the ceiling, drywall and shiplap on the walls, flooring, and subfloor. And it didn’t even take us a whole day to do it.
It’s just so hard to know that I’m fully capable, and I could save over $5000 if I just do it myself. So it took me a few days to mull it over and weigh the pros and cons of DIY vs. hiring it out.
In the end, I decided to go ahead and hire them to get it done. I think that’s a much more efficient use of time. Sure, I could do it myself. But at what cost? I could save that $5000, but it would probably take me weeks to do what they can do in days. And while they’re working on that room, I can be doing other things — much more fun and interesting things — like working on my studio bathroom and working on the hallway bathroom. And I’m sure that those are things that y’all would much rather follow along on. Watching me tear out walls and tear up flooring and subfloor for weeks would probably be as interesting as watching paint dry.
So I finally told Jose this morning to put me on the schedule. I’m not gonna lie. That’s a hard decision for me. But I’m also motivated by my desire to get into that bedroom as soon as possible. The new flooring has already been here, sitting in the breakfast room and taking up way too much space, for a couple of weeks now so it can get acclimated before I install it, and I’m ready to get things moving forward. I don’t know yet when they can get started. When I first talked to him about it, which was about a week and a half ago, he said they were about two weeks out. But then I took too long to make a decision and get on their schedule, so another project may have taken that first available spot. But hopefully it won’t be much longer. Once I made the decision to let go and let them do it, I felt good about it. And I felt pretty relieved, to be quite honest. So I won’t be changing my mind. I’m excited about seeing some progress made in there, even if it’s by someone else’s hands.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Yes! I know what you mean! In this case, you’re working with someone you’re already familiar with, who does satisfactory work. I would say you made the right decision.
You seem to forget the logistical need to use the hall bath and preserving your physical ability to complete the room. You cancelled the big addition to free up funds. It’s okay to hire out this need. This is the plan. The fact you know how to do it, gives you an eye to know they are doing it satisfactorily and not being taken for a ride.
I wish there was a thumb’s up option, or a “like,” to your comment.
So, thumbs up.
Like.
Ditto!
Good on you Kristi!
Don’t forget that your time is also valuable and there is an opportunity cost to doing it yourself. If you spent x days doing this work, think about what other projects you wouldn’t be able to do in those same x days. It is a cost of your own time if you did it yourself. Remember that you and your time are also valuable.
Good decision! Having a quicker finish will let you move ahead quicker, too. And good small contractors, like the one you’re hiring, need work if we want them to stay in business and be there for us next time. A win-win.
Kristi, I thinkbyou made a good decision.
My daughter and I were just discussing this very thing this morning! Unfortunately, we both have hard-headed (read “very frugal”) husbands, so projects take a lot longer, if ever, to finish. 🙁 You made the right decision – you get to the fun stuff faster!
Sometimes it IS just better to pay, and do something else, and the time frame will be so much quicker for you to get to the finishing stuff and get settled in your new room! We just hired out a big part of our project, and the relief in the house is SO WONDERFUL…it was weighing heavy, and now is relaxing. He is starting almost right away, so we will actually see progress very soon. What a great feeling! This work was probably something we shouldn’t do at our age anyway…we will pick and choose carefully.
Great choice. You have other things to do, like upholster that pretty red chair!! And finish the bathroom. Getting it done in a timely manner is worth the money. Remember you can’t take it with you.
Have a great weekend.
In your decision making process, you also need to consider your health and your back. You have an important job taking care of Matt and he needs you. I’m excited to see the progress.
I don’t think you’ll regret the decision. And yes, your family would have helped you…but did you want to ask them to for something that isn’t really needed? My family is a lot like yours (I think, from reading your blog over the years) if the call for help goes out its all hands on deck. Of course they’d show up. But do I really want to inconvenience them just so I can save some money that I actually do have, especially money that’s already allotted for home related projects?
Kristi…I’m with you on taking a long time making decisions. Not a bad mind thing though. I’m glad you have made your decision. Which ever way you ended up choosing would be the right one. You know your capabilities and you would do an excellent job. I think having it done will give you some extra time to concentrate on your other projects, and give you some leisure time to enjoy all that you have accomplished. Sometimes even geniuses need to take time off. Plus, maybe saying goodbye to the so beautiful genius workout gym room you so excellently created could bring sad feelings, even though doing so is a good thing, hiring it out may be just the best decision you have made for yourself. You will be fine.
Ugh, I suffer from the same problem. It’s painful to pay someone else that much for stuff I can do! But time IS money…
Definitely a good decision! Well done – i find this hard too, tho’ i’m not nearly as capable as you! I think get them to install the floor as well – won’t be much extra and then you can really hit the ground running with that room!
I feel where you’re coming from, and I have the same issue.
For you specifically, I wonder if it could help you to reframe this problem as a “business expense”.
You don’t just DIY to do your house, you DIY to share content on this blog, from which you make a living, which you then use to pay for said house. (Which is super impressive, btw, I am in awe of the business you built here doing what you love).
But that also means that you HAVE to have content to share, which could help you out with the hire vs DIY conundrum.
Because there are thing you do in your house that any generic contractor can do for $5k… and then there are things you do that only you, Kristi, amazing blog personality and creative DIY savant extraordinaire can do.
You could NOT have hired out your spoon lamp. Or your pantry tiles. Or your entry way. Or the stripes in the gym. Or your current bedroom mural.
That content comes from your brain, from your hands, from you labor. It cannot be created anywhere else, and by anyone else, because it is your process of trial and error, experimentation, adjustments, struggles, and yes, redos, that achieves those results.
My guess is too (though perhaps I’m wrong here) that if you look at your reader engagement, and financial aspects of your blog, it’s YOUR content that generates your revenue. Not your “generic contractor could do this but I’m doing it to save money” posts, *unless, I would guess, they are specific step by step tutorials*.
But if that assumption is accurate, that means that any second you take away from your creative process to engage in generic contractor work, you’re not actually saving all the money the DIY is saving you, because you’re partially spending it on reader engagement on your blog.
Something to thing about…
Regardless, I do note you’re back into a mode where you’re struggling to find motivation, and are randomly skipping about, having a hard time finding balance in your projects. So I want to remind you that usually means you’re second guessing yourself somewhere, somehow, and until you iron that out, you’ll continue having a hard time finding motivation. But it also usually means that you’ve been going too hard and too long on the ‘boring detailed build’ phase of a project. Too many holes to fill and sand in trim drives you a bit mad, after a while, it seems (and no wonder really).
Usually you fix that dysregulation precisely by doing something creative for a bit, which I know you’ve done some on, with the spoon lamp, but I wonder if it was really enough? Maybe you need a bigger creative DIY project for a bit? Not an “art project” but a wall to take some of your creativity out on? Maybe even just a test project, just for fun? Given that the gym is going to get redone anyway, those walls are currently perfect to experiment on with things you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t been sure about where/when/how to use?
Just throwing ideas out there…
But regardless, I don’t think you’re in a place right now where it would serve you, mentally, emotionally, financially, business wise, to be fretting about ‘saving’ $5k to adjust drywall and a floor.
Good call! Your time and what you can accomplish while your contractor does the boring rough part is probably in balance. You are right! you don’t have to do Everything!
Haha. I am the same way as you, Kristi, only nowhere near as hard-working. 🙂 I’ve lived in my house for a year and a month all I’ve done so far is: painted the whole interior, changed our guest bathroom to a laundry room (required taking it down to studs, removing and replacing the subfloor, wiring it, plumbing it, adding insulation, drywalling it, tiling it, wallpapering it, and adding trim and a shelf to fold clothes on), put a new floor and vanity in the bathroom, removed weeds and put down plastic to kill them, and painted the kitchen cabinets. And lots of smaller, decorative stuff. Basically what you get done in a month, LOL.
I still have to wash, scrape, prime, and paint our entire house siding, along with removing an attached shed and shutters, and replacing some current siding and trim boards. And yet I still think I should install drywall in our entire basement once we get it waterproofed… it’s about 1400 sq ft!
So I completely understand. In the end, you just have to make the decision that’s right for you. If you decided to do it, you’d do it. If you hired it out, you’d be doing something else on your task list. You’ll take us along on the journey regardless. 🙂
Personally, though, the “unfun” stuff like demoing, drywalling, and wiring is my favorite thing to watch and read about, so maybe I’m just an odd duck in your flock of followers. LOL.
Kristi,
It’s easy to think of some aspects of a project in terms of dollar value while ignoring the costs of other aspects of the project because they’re hard to evaluate in terms of dollars–but we forget those other aspects DO have costs and we devalue ourselves if we can’t figure out how to account for these hidden costs as well. What is the cost–or value, really–to be counted for a quicker, cleaner demolition or build versus a room full of debris, tools, and equipment for a longer period? Workmen come in, do the thing, and get out with all their stuff, and there’s a completed project. You take longer to do it or call in an army of helpers, and still have to clean up, put tools and equipment away, drag stuff around the house and yard, etc. What is the relative value of not living in chaos (and by definition, causing Matt to live in it) for that period, not inconveniencing helpers, not having to deal with the cleanup, not having an unusable room for a time?
The problem here is one of control, and here you might get further getting over “I can do it myself!”-itis if you can learn to regard being in charge of a project on a level with actually performing the work of a project. You’re still in control, Kristi, whether you handle the hardware or not! If you can make yourself see it, notice it, while you mentally perform all the cost accounting, you might find it easier to let go when it would be best to do so.