Are You More Likely To DIY or Hire?

We just got back from visiting our friends' loft in Oakland where they built a huuuuuge bookcase in the entryway (library ladder and all!). Without even thinking about looking for a ready-made solution, they found a book on storage solutions from the 70's and based their plan loosely around some of the tutorials they read! Two months in, and they're almost finished...

[ Photo from Rigamarole's Flickr ]

Say you have a project that requires a certain level of skill--like building a bookcase or a window seat. There are tutorials all over the internet and how-to books at the bookstore, but are you more likely to build it yourself or hire someone / buy something similar? Is DIY really a cheaper way to go?

P.S. We'll post photos of our friends' Ultimate Bookcase when it's finally finished!

Comments (16)

I am likely to jump right in, sander, jigsaw and bandaids at the ready. I always think I can do anything until I prove I can't. DIY is not cheap for me, most of what I make never sees the light of day.

I buy all the stuff with every good intention to DIM (Do It Myself), but have recently decided the excitement for me is in the planning and the buying of the supplies, not in the doing. So I either have multiple unfinished projects (currently, painting, making a lamp and a chandelier and installing shade cloth) or buy the stuff and hire it out (installing some ceiling fans where the particulars were "over my head" in more ways than one).

I don't have the skill to even think about DIY. Plus, I'm a major procrastinator, so even if I could do it myself, I'd never get around to it.

If I can't DIY, it doesn't get done. (Unless it's something unavoidable, like a new roof.) But I don't take on projects that involve a steep leaning curve, or expensive tools I don't have. (No custom window seats here.)

i'm a combo of the two. i live in an apt so i can only have so many power tools. of course, i live in an apt so there's only so much I can build anyway! :P

I DIY or Reclaim pretty much everything there is almost no reason.

I hire. I'm not just domestically impotent, I'm actually dangerous.

I'm a DIYer. My budget constraints force me to do so, but it also makes me a extremely handy handywoman (which my landlords adore). I'm about 2 sealant coats away from having a gorgeous eight foot, reclaimed bowling alley lane countertop. Now I know where the name ROCK maple comes from.

I don't like DIY -- I never like the outcome of my projects. I've learned to either just buy it, hire it -- or change my desires/expectations to not want it.

We do it all ourselves. :) There has only been one time when we didn't and that was for our curbing in our yard. On that project it was actually more cost effective to hire. But everything else, you bet we do it ourselves!!

DIY Diva here. :) I am much more likely than my metal working tradesman partner to get on the tools and make something for myself, or sand it back and refinish it etc etc. Luckily he takes the hint and helps me along with the knowledge. :D Next project scrap steel and wood pallet outdoor setting. We'll see how that goes. ;)

This girl's for hire ;-)

Thanks to hippy parents, I've got a real DIY mindset. It's actually a real struggle for me to depend on a professional to do anything unless it's really out of my league.

Add in the shockingly shoddy work I've seen at relatives' houses from contractors, and I'm just more convinced to do the basic stuff myself and get the quality levels I desire!

I love to DIY, but it isn't always the most practical. The truth is that I often have more money than time, (and yet, not much of either, hmmm). Hiring isn't necessarily a work saver on smaller projects, you have to work with your employee and that can be a lot of effort, and you never know exactly what you are going to get. You may end up redoing parts of it anyway. I try to look for economical ways to buy it pre-made, or buy something that can be easily modified. That's why I like the Ikea hacker site so much. Re-purposing is often the most economical way to go, both time and money-wise.

We usually DIY. Sometimes we hire people because we don't have the time to do it ourself but there's ALWAYS something done wrong that we have to fix ourselves later. And that's aggravating!

It's a mix. I like to DIY stuff, but there are some things I don't have the patience to build (and can be found cheaper used). For something like a custom bookcase I would hire, because it requires really accurate measuring and all that, which I admit is not a strong suit when cutting wood.