DIY gutter repairs sound great but can come at a serious cost. Here are five reasons why this decision could quickly become one of the worst you’ve ever made.
The DIY Phenomenon
Have you noticed the surge in popularity of reality shows like The Block¸ My House Rules and Renovation Rules? These shows represent DIY projects as easily achievable (even with no prior industry experience), quick to complete and safe. It seems like everyone can just pick up some tools and easily build the house of their dreams!
It should come as no surprise to you that the opposite is true.
Australia is seeing a dramatic increase in the number of costly accidents incurred by DIY home owners. (Be warned – graphic images). People are losing fingers and limbs, incurring serious head injuries and even losing their lives instead of employing trained professionals.
Gutter repairs is one of those DIY jobs that every Tom, Dick and Harry seems to think they’ll be able to carry out. What you didn’t know, however, is the HUGE cost that you and your family will potentially make in the interests of trying to save a few bucks.
Here are our five reasons why you should NOT carry out your own gutter repairs.
Safety
Go outside and look up at where you’re planning on doing your gutter repairs. Take a good look at the height, the stability of the area and how hard the ground is.
Now go inside and take a look at your family.
If you’re operating at height using unfamiliar materials in conditions you’re not professionally trained in then you’re risking your life.
When professionals undertake gutter repairs, they do so with:
- proper, industry level safety checks in place
- well-tested materials that they are very familiar with
- a support team behind them
- thorough risk assessments backing them up
- a clear project start and finish date and time.
Long-standing industry experts are there to make sure you don’t risk your health and safety. Arranging a consultation will mean that the job can be completed and you can simply enjoy the spoils of someone else’s labour.
Return on Investment
If you’ve googled ‘DIY gutter repairs’ chances are you don’t really know what you’re doing.
That means you’re going to be splashing lots of cash in different hardware stores chasing down materials. You’ll have to research and purchase products you’re not sure of that could be wrong for the job.
Calculate the cash spent planning and organising this project, potentially wasted materials, petrol and the clothing you’ll inevitably damage during the job. If everything goes right (and that’s a big if) you’re looking at a huge outlay that could add up to an astronomical expense. If there are problems (such as your property becoming damaged, hospital bills or needing a pro to fix your mistakes) then the cost is going to blow right out.
Home ownership is about constantly calculating return on investment. Think carefully about whether doing your own gutter repairs is an intelligent move to make when you consider a once-off payment to a professional instead.
Time
In today’s society, it seems like we’re all working around the clock. If we’re not actually in the office, we’re still replying to emails and preparing work for clients. The time that we aren’t working is the time that should be spent:
- relaxing
- enjoying time well spent with family and friends
- pursuing hobbies and interests
- exercising.
Consider how much of your time you’ll be giving up to perform your own gutter repairs. How much time are you willing to sacrifice away from your family, friends and the things you REALLY want to spend your time doing?
Long term property damage
Remember how we were talking earlier about return on investment?
Picture this. You’re set up to repair your gutters. You’ve outlaid the big bucks on making sure you have all the materials, you’ve spent hours planning and researching the job you’re about to undertake and now you’re finally ready to dedicate your whole weekend to it.
When you’re up on the ladder you lose your balance. You try to correct yourself by hanging onto the guttering and you end up dragging it all down with you.
Gutters, eaves and roof tiles come crashing down with you. You gaze up in absolute horror as what looked to be a simple job avalanches into an urgent problem that’s going to take serious cash to fix. Your structure has been seriously compromised as a direct result of your ill-advised DIY project.
Sounds scary, right? The final reason that you shouldn’t DIY gutter repairs is a whole lot less terrifying.
Peace of mind
You’ve noticed that your gutters are a little worse for wear so you contact Strongguard. Their expert team gets back to you quickly to arrange a quote from their professional, well-trained tradespeople. You quickly realise that their community reputation as experts lives up to the high-quality service you receive.
You book in a time and a date for the gutter repairs that best suits you. The Strongguard team come out, get the job done at a cracking pace and all you need to do is pay an invoice. Your property is safe, your time can be well spent doing things you want to do, and your health and safety haven’t been compromised in the slightest.
The DIY trap
There are many home improvement projects that you can do yourself. Home owners are more than capable of small fixes that add value and don’t take a lot of effort. They can undertake projects that don’t come with high risk or huge cost successfully and gain a lot of satisfaction from a job well done.
What home-owners should NOT do is undertake projects that have danger associated with them.
To ensure that you don’t end up as just another DIY statistic, make sure you rely on South East Queensland’s roofing and guttering specialists to get your gutter repairs job done.
Need help and advice about gutter repairs? Contact the expert team at Strongguard today.