Renovating your home is exciting, and getting your hands dirty can be highly rewarding. But DIY projects may not always be the best, or only option for your home.
Let’s take a look at some of the common home renovation projects and find out — when can you DIY and when is it time to hire a professional tradie?
Painting or wallpapering are DIY projects that most homeowners will try at some point, with varying degrees of success. If it’s a straightforward paint job and you have the time, equipment, and patience, DIY-ing is a great option.
Hiring a professional house painter or wallpaper installer on the other hand, rather than attempting to do it yourself has several benefits. Also, if you’re looking at painting the outside of your home or anywhere with high ceilings or tricky access, it’s always worth calling the pros to complete the job safely.
Professional painters will undoubtedly be faster as they have the tools, skills and experience to work quickly. They’ll also be able to complete the job to the highest possible quality, including proper surface preparation, paint mixing and application, and carefully painting any fiddly bits like window frames and door jams.
Have admitted to attempting a DIY job only for it to go wrong
Say the bathroom is the most likely room in the house for a DIY disaster, followed closely by the kitchen at 32%
When it comes to DIY and electrical work, homeowners can only do a little more than change a lampshade or a lightbulb. It’s illegal in Australia and can hold fines of up to $40,000. Even more, if someone is electrocuted or injured.
You might not have realised it, but tasks such as replacing a light switch or power point, installing or moving a light fitting, and even attaching a new plug to the end of a lead all require a licensed electrician under Australian laws. And with good reason, too — faulty wiring can cause a fire, and live wires can cause electrocution.
“You could unknowingly make the installation unsafe, putting others at risk of electric shock,” says electrician Aaron Sharman from Aggy Electrical. “We recently received a phone call from a gentleman who got electric shocks every time he had a shower. We found the previous owner had tampered with the bathroom installation.”
If you’ve got any electrical work planned, hire a professional and licensed electrician who can complete the work for you.
Plumbers need to be licensed and insured to carry out residential or commercial work by law. This is outlined in the Home Building Act 1989. As a general rule, a licensed plumber needs to be called for anything to do with gas, drinking water or sewage.
Plumbers aren’t immune to the horror stories of DIY gone wrong. “Once an owner connected the kitchen appliances’ gas pipeline to the mains water supply. The water went into the gas appliances, which I had to replace,” says one hipages plumber.
But, there are some jobs that you could try yourself if you know what you’re doing. For example, changing a washer or showerhead, and in a toilet, the cistern, drop valve washer, float valve washer or suction cup rubber can all be replaced if needed.
When it comes to irrigation, you can install or maintain a system downstream from an isolating valve, tap or backflow prevention device on the supply pipe for the irrigation or lawn watering system. The rules vary significantly for rainwater tanks between the states. Some states allow you to install the pump and tank, while others have stricter rules.
Always do your research, and if you need clarification on something, call a licensed professional to ensure the job is done properly.
42%
homeowners are annoyed they wasted so much time
30%
homeowners are embarrassed at their lack of knowledge and ability
28%
homeowners are annoyed they spent so much money, just to go to waste
If you’re not planning on moving or installing any plumbing (where you’ll need permits and a licensed professional), you may be considering doing the rest of your bathroom reno yourself.
DIY is an option for cosmetic bathroom projects, such as replacing taps, re-grouting, installing storage shelves, or painting. Some people may even be comfortable installing new bathroom vanities and baths or removing and re-installing tiles.
However, the cost of repairing bathroom renovations if they go wrong could be even more than if you’d hired a professional in the first place. The primary concern is waterproofing, which must comply with the Building Code of Australia and Australian Standards AS3740-2010 Waterproofing of wet areas in residential buildings.
In some states like NSW, a licensed professional must do waterproofing. And even if your state doesn’t mandate this, it’s highly recommended as water damage is one of the leading issues in Australian homes and can cause mould and structural damage.
So, if you want to renovate your bathroom, speak to a bathroom installer, waterproofing expert, or a professional tiler near you.
If you’ve got green fingers, landscaping and paving might be the DIY project of your dreams. DIY-ing can save money and give a huge sense of achievement. But, like all DIY projects, it has some cons too.
Laying pavers is a seriously time-consuming task and requires a good level of effort and fitness. While it may seem cost-effective to install pavers yourself, investing in professional installation can save money in the long term.
That’s because improperly installed pavers can lead to cracking, shifting, and other problems that may require costly repairs down the line. A lack of suitable base material or insufficient spacing between pavers can also result in cracks and sinking in the future.
When it comes to general landscaping, whether you DIY or not comes down to your level of expertise and comfort in giving it a go. The complexity of the landscaping can also be a deciding factor.
If you’re experienced with plants or willing to learn, you might be ready for this DIY project. If you’re not, though, and you want something that will be easy to maintain and that will last, you’ll most likely need a professional landscaper.
If you’re wondering, ‘Should I install my flooring myself or hire a tradie?’, you’ll want to consider more than just price. Although installing flooring such as carpet, vinyl, or floating floorboards yourself might be cheaper, mistakes can be costly.
A skilled tradie can save you money in the long run by avoiding costly mistakes and delivering high-quality results. Other benefits include:
If you decide to hire a tradie instead of making it a DIY project, always ensure you hire a correctly licensed tradie for the job. All trades have different types of licensing requirements, and these can even differ by location.
Some trades, such as painters, cabinet makers and tilers, are licensed to work over a certain monetary amount, which differs by state. For example, a licence is required in NSW, where the reasonable market cost of labour and building materials is more than $1,000 for painting. In Victoria, a licence is needed for over $5,000.
As much as renovating your home is exciting, being aware of common issues and challenges will help you prepare for the unexpected and be a little wiser and better prepared when it all starts.
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Read more*About the research
Commissioned by hipages Group in conjunction with Thrive Insights, the research was conducted online in March 2024. Findings are based on a sample of over 800 Australian homeowners aged 30+ years across all states and territories.
