People can save money if they are willing to take a risk and do things that are out of their comfort zone.
However, people often lack confidence and sometimes the tools necessary to do the job.
With a little research and reading people can often learn how to do a repair project on their own.
If you want to save money by doing your own repairs you need to figure out what your resources of information will be and how complicated the job is before you begin to do any repair yourself.
You need to take into consideration four steps prior to beginning the repair.
The first step is use the phone to get an estimate based on your description of the problem, use the internet to search about the repair you described,figure out which tools you need prior to starting the job, take pictures and lastly take action with confidence.
Using the phone to talk to a professional to get an estimate based on your description of the problem can sometimes be reassuring of how much the repair will cost to have them come out and fix it and if is too expensive for you to do.
Sometimes professionals can make things more complicated but you at least have an idea of the approximate cost to have the repair person come out to your home.
You should take notes when discussing your problem over the phone.
If they do an excellent job on telling them what they will do and what the potential problem is I often thank them for their time and tell them based on their help if I need someone to fix it they will be the first people I call.
Several times if you tell them you are going to try to fix it yourself they will advise you if you "could do" the job or if you should have someone do it for you.
Using the internet to search about the repair can be one of the best sources of information.
You should look for forums where people like you search for questions and provide answers to their problems.
Forums often will describe exactly what you need to do and what you should be aware of prior to starting your project.
It is not uncommon for a forum to even provide other links where you can see step by step on how to do a job.
You should already have figured out from your internet search on your initial discussion with the local professional when calling for an estimate which tools you need prior to starting the job.
Sometimes jobs need special tools that can be costly and you should be aware of the need for these tools prior to starting the job.
Also, trying to use a tool that is not made for that specific repair will cost more money so you should always try to use the right to for the job.
Taking pictures of the project prior to starting can be a huge asset especially if you have to go to a hardware store to find a part that you broke while trying to describe the part to hardware clerk can make you feel dumb and create frustration.
This recently helped me out when replacing my first electric water heater.
In a day of digital cameras it just makes sense to take pictures especially if you have to take something apart for the first time.
Lastly, take action with confidence.
You are working on something that is already broke and hopefully you should have read online or talked to the professional about what problems you could face when doing the job yourself.
There is nothing like gaining confidence from completing a fix it job and saving money.
Using these five steps allows you to learn prior to starting your project the costs, the tools needed, potential problems