When To Call In A Professional For Home Repairs

Deciding whether to take on a repair project by yourself or when to call in a professional for home repairs, involves four factors:

1. The type of repair

2. Your available time

3. Your tools

4. Your skills

Do you have time? If a repair must be fixed immediately for the safety measures, such as fixing a broken step or unclogging a toilet, but you do not have the time, you need to call a professional.

Where timing is not as critical , you should consider the size and effort of the work needed to fix the repair. A project that might take a professional a day or two could take you up to two or three weeks. Working in your spare time, if you have any, makes a project last longer than necessary. If you believe that the cost of having the work done is more that the inconvenience of living with a repair in progress, then you may not need a professional. However if the ongoing repair is more of a inconvenience than the money lost to a repair man then by all means hire a professional.

Tools you’ll need. Compare the cost of buying or renting any specialized tools that are needed for a job. If you don’t expect to use those tools again, a professional is defiantly the better choice. For example to repair your roof, you must have special roof safety equipment or clearing a clogged main drain may call for power auger. A professional includes the investment cost in the right tools for such jobs is part of their fee.

Your skills. Be realistic about your knowledge and abilities. If you aren’t sure how to make a particular repair after reading and attending dealer domes and manufactures instructions, you are better off having the job done professionally. The same is true if your not comfortable fixing a repair that is to dangerous, like working on the roof.

Choosing a professional. The best way to find a quality professional is to ask your friends or neighbors for recommendations. You can also ask for referrals form building material outlets and community colleges or local groups that offer building educational classes.

If using the yellow pages to find professional repair services, look under the “Fit-it Services.” For more specific repair services, look under the appropriate category, such as “Electric Contractor” or “Roofing Contractor.” You can also use the local newspapers which carry ads for individuals specializing in home repair.

Before you begin working with any professional, make sure to establish the fee before they start working on the repair. Be clear about the specific work that’s needed. if you are paying by the hour, ask for the estimates time the repair will be complete. For any major repairs make sure to ask for references and compare the fees and the quality of work of several professionals before deciding.