How to DIY when you are not handy

[jfer_rose]

I'm going to be spending some of my 'stache to make some improvements to my home. It is money that I've been saving specifically for that purpose, but of course, I would like to be Mustachian about it and spend as little of it as possible.

I'm looking for ideas on how someone with pretty much no home improvement know-how can save money on home improvements. Available labor equals me-- I am a 35 year old woman who's hand-eye coordination has never been great and who's past efforts at DIY home improvement have ended up costing more $ than just hiring out to begin with (although I am not hopeless-- I successfully recaulked my bathtub last month, hooray for small victories!). Scope of work includes swapping out old kitchen cabinets for new, tile backsplash, replacement flooring, replacement baseboards, a custom pantry and custom peninsula to hide my cool midcentury fold-out dining table. I already plan to do all the painting myself. Last night and this morning I worked on removing the small above-fridge cabinet which is required in order to fit my new fridge (the only new appliance for this project). The screws were spinning without coming out, so it took blood, sweat, and tears to get the %&#* thing down. Ok, so the blood and the sweat were literal but the tears didn't actually fall even though I wanted them to. I feel quite badass that I succeeded, but as much as I struggled with such a simple task, I know I'm going to need help on this project. So how does a Mustachian going about finding help in a low-cost way?

I have a very badass female friend who remodeled her kitchen herself (identical unit to mine-- she lives in my building), and I asked for her help on mine. Unfortunately, she said no. She said the two of us wouldn't be strong enough to do a lot of the work-- on her project she had required a lot of help from a burly friend. I don't happen to have any burly friends to ask for help. Do I post looking for help on Craigslist? If so, how do I know I've found someone good? Are there other ideas? Looking for any tips or tricks here.

[Rural]

Go ahead and plan on doing the baseboards yourself. That you can handle. Are you replacing the base cabinets? You can do that, too, but not the countertop -- that's way too heavy, awkward, and breakable. Top cabinets depend on whether they are all attached to one another. You should be able to safely remove one at a time, but not all at once.

Flooring depends on what you're planning to put in, but likely you can do it. I personally wouldn't tackle tile because I know I don't have the patience and attention to detail, but it's more meticulous than difficult.

For help, frankly, I usually think first about my husband's high school students. They're manual labor only, not expertise, but do you know any teenagers?

[brand new stash]

DIY is a matter of the more you do, the better you get.  My advice is to find a good handyman...ask around your building.  Then start the project, do everything you are physically capable of doing, including the jobs that take a lot of time.  Stop when you reach a step that you physically can't do, and call in the handyman.  But this is the key....watch him work.  Watch what he does, and learn from it.

[Vilx-]

Here's my approach. I'm male and have always been a bit technically-minded and like to do DIY things, but I have little experience in house renovations so I'm close to where you are, except maybe I'm a bit stronger (not by much though).

• The Internet is a wonderful place. Google, Youtube, Videojug, etc - for most things there are countless videos, explanations, forum topics, etc. That will give you a good idea what to expect, what to do and what not to do.
• Use common sense. This is above all. Figure out the best order of doing things; figure out tricks to help you; figure out alternative approaches if something doesn't seem to work; figure out what not to do; etc. (Hint: for moving heavy things, put freshly cut potato slices beneath them. They slide like ice! I've tested this myself. They dry out in a few hours though.)
• Don't be afraid of failure. In fact, expect that the result will be less than what you've imagined. That does not mean that it will be dysfunctional. And mistakes can be fixed. More importantly - you can learn from mistakes and become better (there's little to learn from successes). It's quite rare that a mistake is very expensive, unless maybe you strain for perfection, in which case abandon the idea of DIY in the first place. Most mistakes can be fixed cheaply or just with some extra work (or they are so small that you can just ignore them and nobody will notice without you pointing it out). Yes, it's slow at the start, but you rapidly get faster with practice. Plus - invaluable experience!
• Don't hesitate to ask advice here and on other DIY forums. Post plenty of pictures so people can understand what's going on. Your badass DIY friend, although she doesn't want to help directly, will most likely be forthcoming with advice too if you ask.
• It's surprising how much you can do by yourself even without a burly friend, if you just stop and think about your difficult problems. Before going out to search for a strongarm, consider carefully if there isn't some other approach or clever trick that would allow you to accomplish it by yourself.
• Know your tools. If something seems difficult beyond belief (like screws don't come out), go to the hardware store and look at the stuff there. Perhaps there's something that just fits the bill! Getting the right tool for the job can sometimes mean the world - has happened to me. :) (Btw - for this particular problem I would have suggested pincers or some other variation of pliers. That mostly does the trick for me)

The main thing is - DIY is a skill, and like any skill, you learn it by doing. It's no problem that your "hand-eye coordination is not so great" - it will nicely improve in time, if you just keep on doing things and actively think about them.

[bUU]

It is important to note that you need to know yourself. Different people learn different ways. Some people do learn by doing. Other people learn by having something demonstrated to them, and then doing it. Still other people need some foundational knowledge on which to build their development of personal aptitude for doing something. Don't expect to pick things up the same way others do (and reflexively, don't expect others to pick things up the same way you do). I'm in a situation with my brother, regarding this sort of thing, right now: He's trying to learn how to develop a website using a CMS. It's second nature to me - learn by doing - while he needs a different learning approach. Similarly, he can pick up doing construction work just by doing, while that'll never work for me.

More specific to the OP's situation: I'd take your badass friend's advice. Nothing better than personal recommendations - someone who knows you and knows the job you're looking to do is going to provide you better advice about what you can and cannot do yourself - even if she won't help you do it - than strangers online.

[jfer_rose]

These responses are giving me something to think about, so thanks. Keep 'em coming!

More specific to the OP's situation: I'd take your badass friend's advice. Nothing better than personal recommendations - someone who knows you and knows the job you're looking to do is going to provide you better advice about what you can and cannot do yourself - even if she won't help you do it - than strangers online.

bUU-- to clarify, I wasn't suggesting I would find strangers online to get their advice. My thought was to find folks to help me with the things that require more strength than I have-- for example hanging the new upper cabinets. And after removing the tiny under fridge cabinet this morning, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to remove the existing full size upper cabinets either. That little bitty cabinet was heavy-- hard to believe since it isn't even real wood! 

[GuitarStv]

Most of what I've learned to DIY correctly I've learned from my dad.  Other than that it usually involves a lot of library book reading.  Do you have a family member or someone you know who can help you out with a few small projects so you start to feel comfortable doing things on your own?  There is a learning curve, and things will take longer than you expect at first . . . but things also get easier with time and experience.

[BlueMR2]

The thing that is hardest and makes people feel less capable than they really are, is improper project selection.  Find a trusted handyman to work with.  A good one will suggest which projects look easier and you should be able to do based on your experience.  Some will work alongside you too while you learn.  The good handymen are busy enough that they're not worried about you "taking away" work from them by DIYing it at home.  You'll still need them for the big (and more interesting to them) stuff...

[Dulcimina]

Hi Jfer_rose, another option to avoid the brute strength of hanging the upper cabinets, might be open shelving.  A lot of people hate them, because everything gets coated with kitchen grease and dust, but a lot of people love them too. 

Take a look at this kitchen: http://www.thekitchn.com/rons-wonderful-industrial-kitchen-small-cool-kitchens-2013-192328.  It makes me alternate between "Wow, that's awesome", and "Did they really hang metro shelving in their kitchen?" Or "this only works because they have a separate pantry."

[jfer_rose]

Hi Jfer_rose, another option to avoid the brute strength of hanging the upper cabinets, might be open shelving.  A lot of people hate them, because everything gets coated with kitchen grease and dust, but a lot of people love them too. 

I'm glad people are throwing lots of ideas out there but I am firmly in the hate open shelving camp. Especially with a cat, there's a lot of pet hair flying around my place and I like that my dishes and food are behind closed doors and away from all that cat hair.

[Maseroni]

Failure is by far the best teacher. 

As you are working on a project take frequent breaks to reassess the plan.  When you get to a point where you are stumped or frustrated, take a break (provided its safe) to give it a think and come back to it later (this could be 5 minutes or the next day).  If you still can't figure it out consult the internet.

Above all, it is going to take more time to complete than originally planned.  The difference between a beginner DIY'r and an experienced contractor is that the experienced contractor has made most of their mistakes already allowing them to plan ahead to avoid them.

Go make some mistakes, and tell us about them so we can learn from you! 

[Greg]

DIY mostly requires one thing to get going, gumption.  It sounds like you have it in spades and need some encouragement. You got it!

Anything a person can build, you can unbuild.  Anything a person can build you can fix, or can try.  Every carpenter, plumber, electrician etc. started with very little knowledge and skill and got better with help, training and practice.  That last bit is how you'll get better too.

Tools are important, they save you effort and skin.  The screws you couldn't budge may have been installed incorrectly, or maybe you had the wrong bit for your screwgun.  In any case you won.

There are trick to doing things like upper cabinets.  Rent or borrow a laser level, attach a board to to the wall rest the bottom of the cabinet on while you install, or use a lift and install the uppers before the base cabinets.  Use the proper tools and fasteners and it will go smoother.  Tricks can be found in how-to books, magazines and online.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[MoneyLifeandMore]

I'm not the best at DIY but I have learned a few things in the process. The most important is to research before you start. Check out Google and YouTube for walkthroughs of the tasks you're going to try to do and look out for their common mistakes or items to watch out for. The other great resource I have found is friends and family who love DIY always seem willing to help out. They enjoy it and I learn in the process.

[stinkindog]

Check in your area ...Lowe's and Home Depot used to give Sat.morning classes in DIY stuff-setting tile, plumbing basics, etc.
The nearby community college has given classes for DIY for women only.
Volunteer at your local Habit for Humanity. Good place to get hands on experience. If you are a little shy about your skills, many have women only builds.
Look up "hard working helper" here  http://www.amazon.com/T-Jak-TJ-104-Your-Working-Helper/dp/B0000224ON/ref=lp_553518_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1374722445&sr=1-5   
 it is basically an adjustable stand that assists you in holding heavy things up and in place so you can attach them. You might be able to rent one.

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Generally speaking I'm on the other side of the equation, I've done a few DIY projects and found that over time it come me more money doing it myself than hiring someone. Specifically an old apartment we bought and renovated, I knew I could do alot of it myself for the other stuff I hired out some people by the day to do some of the jobs I couldn't. In the end it ended costing me way more money hiring people than had I simply asked for a quote from a professional.

Case in point: cermanic floor tiles, easy peasy right, wellllllll what I didn't count on was that the old floor was vinyl and full of glue and not level in the slightest. This we only discovered once we started (remember I'm paying by the hour) so we put down leveler, and volia it all lifted, 2 days wasted cleaning it up. That was on top of all the tools I had to buy to do the job.

Honestly it would have been cheaper to simply hire out a firm, as they would not only have had the tools but the experience to know what to look for.

Secondly an ikea self assembly kitchen, what a FUCKING (pardon my french) nightmare, 70 flat packed boxes. Later I found out I could have had a kitchen installed for about the same money.

But the one thing that did work out really really well was the tub, old and in bad shape, don't remember the quote but it was quite expensive to refinish it, instead spend 25 bucks and special paint and did the whole thing myself, looked almost brand new.

It's not that you can't do it yourself only to be careful not to be penny wise and pound foolish.

[kdms]

Anything a person can build, you can unbuild. 

+1

I would suggest that your biggest savings would be in the demolition of your old kitchen.  Labour is a huge cost in all jobs, and if you can present your hired help with a clean space ready for installation (and maybe even already painted which would save you the aggravation of painting around the cabinets later), you've saved yourself scads of cash right there.  You'll also discover ahead of time any previously undetected problems that could hold up the installation, which you could then deal with without having outsiders on the clock.  Considering the going labour rate, and you already know how much time it took to take down one cabinet, apply that time figure to the rest of your cabinets x the going hourly rate in your area and you'll see right off the bat how much money you'll save by wrestling those old cabinets out by yourself.  Seeing as you're planning on replacing the flooring and countertop anyways along with the cabinets, unless you're planning on reusing them elsewhere, does it really matter if they get damaged during removal?  Would your friend be willing to help take your cabinets apart, if not reinstall?

Another option I'm not sure I saw listed here is that if you're not changing the layout of the cabinets, or are simply adding new ones to the existing ones, perhaps refacing the cabinets would be cheaper than reinstalling new ones.  If you're happy with your layout you could make a huge visual change with paint and a new door style and hardware, something you could also do yourself.

I've done a kitchen reno similar to what you're describing, and it was done as a mix of DIY and pro help, similar to what you're looking to do, and out of the list you've mentioned, I'd only tackle the baseboards, paint, the tiling, and maybe the flooring.  Gravity is your friend with those four jobs.  If you've never tiled before, buy an extra box of tile of the type you're planning to use and practice first; it's not as easy as it looks but 30-60 minutes of 'trial tiling' will tell you immediately if it's something you're willing to take on yourself, and if you're not, you've saved yourself the grief, and the rest of the box is still useable by whomever will do the installation.  Same thing with flooring.  Snap together laminates or hardwood or engineered can either be really easy or really hard, depending on the flooring chosen, and tools required can range from an exacto knife to a mitre saw to an air nailer.  You can rent all of these items, but if you're not comfortable using them, there's an example of how DIY could end up costing more than pro help.  Also be aware that your back and knees (and other assorted body parts) will let you know for days exactly how hard the flooring job was.

Most useful tip I ever got (and applied successfully) about kitchen renos: Move your fridge to another room and set up a temporary kitchen - counterspace, dishes and cutlery, a place to sit and eat, a place to wash dishes, etc - and do up a meal plan that involves the stove and oven as little as possible, unless you can move that out too.  Bathrooms and laundry rooms work well for this if the counterspace is big enough.  If you've always got access to a clean, neat place to eat and prep food, and the space being renovated isn't actually needed for daily living requirements, the renovation itself will be easier to live with.  Your contractor will appreciate it.  Your kitchen is going to be a mess each day and if the guys don't have to spend an hour and a half cleaning up at the end of each day so you can use it to cook, that's an hour and a half more they can actually install stuff, less time to get going each morning, and you're not paying two or three guys $25 an hour (each!) to clean.

[ritchie70]

One other thing, especially on the uppers - what kind of cabinets you're hanging matters.

Ikea cabinets, for example, hang off a metal rail that you screw to the wall first. They're a lot easier. You just get it up there, get a couple nuts started, and then you have freedom to adjust them around without having to hold their weight. I only did one (reworking the mother-in-law's kitchen a little) but I was able to put it up and get it perfectly into place single handed with no blood, no tears, and very little cussing.

The lowers hang off the rail and sit on feet in the front - once again, very easy to put in place and adjust.

Most others I've seen just take big screws directly through the frame of the cabinet into the stud, so you have to have them in exactly the right place before you can attach them at all, and you have to actually find a stud.

I don't work for Ikea or anything, just a fan of how their cabinets attach.