As a fun aside, I am meticulous about trying to learn every little detail I can about problems that arise with both my car and my house (it drives my wife crazy). I am an extremely "unhandy" person, but I still love giving it a go.
This has led to the following two most common scenarios:
1) I fix the problem at hand after some trial and error, saving lots of money on an expensive service call (fixed a leaky sink, repaired a lawn mower, etc).
2) I make things (way) worse, thus costing a lot more money than it should (my car's exhaust system, the sewer line from our house, etc).
I'm likely sitting at a zero sum; all well worth it.
In the beginning it's tough to determine what is worth contracting out and what is not. After you spend some time experimenting (and often having it all come out in the wash as you saw), you can gain a better sense of when to call in an "expert" and what to DIY.
Regarding point 2. If the problem reoccurs, you're now either capable or no your not, which is either a time or money saving. Additionally, how many "professional" jobs have you paid for that have turned out to be a simple exercise without cost or time blowouts or call backs. I'll bet it isn't zero.
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I love this article --
As a fun aside, I am meticulous about trying to learn every little detail I can about problems that arise with both my car and my house (it drives my wife crazy). I am an extremely "unhandy" person, but I still love giving it a go.
This has led to the following two most common scenarios:
1) I fix the problem at hand after some trial and error, saving lots of money on an expensive service call (fixed a leaky sink, repaired a lawn mower, etc).
2) I make things (way) worse, thus costing a lot more money than it should (my car's exhaust system, the sewer line from our house, etc).
I'm likely sitting at a zero sum; all well worth it.
In the beginning it's tough to determine what is worth contracting out and what is not. After you spend some time experimenting (and often having it all come out in the wash as you saw), you can gain a better sense of when to call in an "expert" and what to DIY.
Not over time. Each failure is knowledge banked away, knowledge that is often cross-applicable to other situations.
Even for skilled tradesmen, there is always the possibilty of having a job go bad and having to eat the cost of putting it right.
Some of the jobs I have tackled myself make friends stare in disbelief. I always figure 'a human made this thing, a human can fix it'.
Regarding point 2. If the problem reoccurs, you're now either capable or no your not, which is either a time or money saving. Additionally, how many "professional" jobs have you paid for that have turned out to be a simple exercise without cost or time blowouts or call backs. I'll bet it isn't zero.