DIY or Pay Someone Else?

[121 Seconds]

About 5 months ago my wife came up with a design for a deck for our front yard. It included built in perimeter bench seating. I had built a small backyard stage before but I knew the time involved with this one would be horrendous.

Anyhow, 5 months on and it is finally finished. I must admit the feeling of satisfaction from a self build is great, but

Would I have been better off investing my time elsewhere and paying a professional to do it?

http://www.thedirteffect.com/the-latest/category/deck

I feel it may have been faster to earn money in my day job and to have gone to the beach on my days off instead. I can never buy back the time I invested in building this thing.

What conclusions have other people come to with this dilemma?

[jprince7827]

I tend to lean towards hiring someone too, but the argument is that the things you learned building it are worth more than you realize.

[RunningWithScissors]

I'm a committed DIY-er myself, and can manage rough carpentry, concrete finishing, tile setting, insulating, minor electrical,  vapour barrier install, framing, drywalling and painting quite nicely.  I rely on the experts and happily pay for their expertise for things I'm not comfortable handling due to sheer physical labour, finicky-ness, or work involving heights:  roofing, installation of upper floor windows, electrical distribution/panel install and plumbing. 

My husband is comfortable with heights so he'll happily perch on the edge of scaffolding to work on ceilings, and he's awesome at minor plumbing work such as replacing hot water heaters ($600 vs $1400 professional for a recent episode) and toilets.

In short, as the original poster mentioned, it's a trade off of time and money. And yes, you will have to take into account the cost of the initial learning curve - I practiced on Habitat for Humanity homes which had no personal benefit, but allowed me to work alongside professionals. 

If you can putter on a project that doesn't affect the liveability of your home (such as having the only bathroom, or kitchen out of working order for weeks or months at a time) then it might be practical to stick with the DIY route.  Another option is to team up with friends and neighbours to blitz a project, taking turns so it's equitable.  Just having other people helping can encourage everyone to work efficiently.

[Bob W]

Pretty set up!

I would generally prefer to do a project like that myself.

But here is something to consider.   A few years ago we bought a house.  The previous owner had just finished a backyard firepit with fixed bench seating.   My wife exclaimed "we will use it all the time as we love to camp so much!"   Me being the pessimist in the pair stated we would never use it.   So we lived there 18 months and basically used it for 2 hours  (she forced her son and me).

I imagine the fire pit set up cost the previous owner $400 and probably 10 hours of time. 

She now wants a similar set up in our backyard.  You can guess my response.   

We have an attached high sitting deck right at our kitchen already.  We put a fire pit there.  No need to travel further to entertain.

So the MMM question might not be -  Which is the best route to build it,  but rather will I use it enough to justify the costs?

My guess is that you will invite some folks over to initiate it a couple of times and then maybe use it 4 times the first year.  By the second year you might use it twice and spend some time on maintaining it.
By year three you might have a hard time remembering just why you built it.  (of course, as always,  I could be totally wrong)

By the way,  that use theory works pretty much with anything -- RVs, Hot Tubs, Pools, Lake Houses, Boats, gym memberships,  etc..  It isn't a 100% as I know lots of folks who use the shit out of their boats.  (although they all eventually tire of them)  But for most of us the real usage is something to consider up front.   

Your deck may turn into a full time hobby for all I know?

[oinkette]

If I feel it's something I'm capable of doing...definitely a DIYer.  I never got the earning $ vs. DIY time argument.  If earn a salary (as I do) it's not like you're making more spending that time at work. 

Pleasure time is another issue.  But even then, I spend so much free time goofing off I have no excuse to make that argument. Plus there are side benefits: learning something, getting a workout, the feeling of accomplishment, possibly turning it into a $ making hobby, etc.

I have a tree in my front yard that needs to be trimmed.  I was thinking of hiring a neighborhood guy to do it, but the weather set to be very nice this weekend and I have no plans and a ladder and a saw and two good hands.  So I'm saving myself $50+ and spending time productively, getting a workout and having my tree come out how I actually want it.

[shotgunwilly]

I would have definitely built that myself.  I guess it all depends on if you have the ability and also how fast and accurate you can build it.  And if you enjoy it. 

You did a really good job on it, with great attention to detail, and I'm guessing it turned out how you wanted it.  If you would have hired someone there's a good chance it would have been slapped together.

[Spondulix]

This may not work for everyone, but my husband hires people that don't mind working collaboratively. You can usually tell when they come for a quote and my husband knows what he's talking about - some people are receptive and others are clearly disinterested. Those guys tend to overprice the job, anyhow. He'll offer to make runs to Home Depot, buys lunch (this always helps with the dynamic), and might take on some duties of the job after hours.

It's still a time investment, but what we have found is that hired help is less prone to taking advantage of us, and sometimes they'll let us in on their tricks. A handyman took my husband with him to buy supplies (for stone, wood, etc), so we learned which mom and pop stores have the best deals. That guy also told my husband some of the common tricks that contractors use to wrack up prices, too.

[121 Seconds]

Pretty set up!

I would generally prefer to do a project like that myself.

The MMM question might not be -  Which is the best route to build it,  but rather will I use it enough to justify the costs?

Thanks everyone for their comments. Bob Werner you have got me thinking and I must admit some reflection can prove to be quite alarming at times. We certainly used the deck (for lunch) a number of times during its construction so I hope this trend continues. It is a way getting a little more use out of our front yard. It has a pretty sweet view over a green valley (something the backyard does not have).

That been said, Will we spend more hours using it than constructing it?

When I think of other projects I have done there is a pretty mixed outcome.

Backyard Stage

1 Concert (although the kids do dance around on it every month or so).

Micro Shelter

More time spent using it than building it

Pallet Table

Two days to build, only used it twice for morning and afternoon tea.

Chook Coop

Spent a fair bit on it but have been getting fresh eggs for three years now

Reclaimed Side Table to Stool Conversion

Two Hours to build - Used Daily by toddler to access the basin

On reflection maybe I actually do enjoy the building side of it as much as the finished product. Perhaps building it makes me want to use it more because I now how much work went into it. When buying clothes I tend to think about the price per wear. Some expensive purchases can actually work out to be the cheapest in the long run. I remember wearing some $100 fashion boots for ten years before continuing their life cycle as work boots.

Back to the Firepit though, I hang my head in shame to admit that our one of three years vintage has been used twice. Thankfully it is just a couple of Besa Blocks sitting in a square. What is it with firepits? I guess you can't fake a proper camping bonfire.

Thanks everyone for their thoughts and advice.

http://www.thedirteffect.com/

[justajane]

You clearly have a knack for building things. I love the rustic table. Now that you've presumably mastered the learning curve, any chance you could harness your skill for a side hustle? Or does that not appeal to you? I imagine you could sell outdoor tables like that for a relatively high price.

[Bob W]

Me thinks your joy is in conceiving and building these beautiful works.  They certainly upgrade the value of your life.

The firepit usage doesn't surprise me.  That is the experience of everyone I've known who has built one.

We "fake" campfires on our back deck every weekend.   A 50 dollar metal fire pit and a 4 dollar Duraflame log is all it takes.  We are 4 steps from the kitchen and can see our 7 year old through the glass.   The bathroom is 20 steps for my wife or 3 steps for me.

Enjoyed the pics and thanks for acknowledging the "will I use it as much as I think I might" thought. 

[livetogive]

1.  I love your work!  Very talented, very good stuff.

2.  I also love the question "will i spend more time building it than using it?"  I think I can apply that even further.  Will I spend more time learning it than using it?  etc.

3.  There's one huge assumption that people seem to constantly forget (econ professors included) when it comes to the whole pay someone to do it vs. do it yourself.  Most people are no longer hourly when they cross the threshold of their hourly equivalent wage being higher than someone you'd hire.  I can't speak for everyone but I know at my job they won't pay me one more cent to work through the weekend.  I think the question should be "Does your perceived marginal benefit of time building these things outweigh the next best alternative?"  If so then keep going.  If you'd rather spend time with your family, do that.

[Goldielocks]

Think of it this way,  most passionate gardeners never actually just sit and enjoy their creation.   Making lovely things to look at may be your passion.   Even the chicken coop is pretty in its way.

[RetiredAt63]

So the MMM question might not be -  Which is the best route to build it,  but rather will I use it enough to justify the costs?

Wow, this is the $64 question.  And the same applies for builds in place when you move in.  There is a metal gazebo with a concrete square floor in my back yard, put in by the previous owners.  I sit on my deck (I wish they had built it bigger, I use it a lot, it has the barbecue and is right off the kitchen).  I never sit in the gazebo, and weeds are now growing between the blocks.  I keep thinking I will use it when more of the garden-scaping is done, but really?  I may just take it down, store the components, put the concrete squares between the raised beds, and sod where it is now.  When I am happy with the landscaping and can see an appropriate place for it I will put it up again - or maybe there will never be a good place and I will ditch it.  I have a feeling that garden benches and seats scattered around will be more useful than one designated yard sitting spot.

Makes me wonder how much they used it, when they had the deck?

[deborah]

Definitely DIY - the fun of building something gives me all the high I ever want. Yes, it is nice if the thing is used a lot, but the joy of building is pretty good too!

[Jules13]

I have nothing to add except to say that the chicken coop is awesome!  I love it.  If I had a bigger yard, I would totally ask for those plans!  You know, come to think of it, if you design these things yourself, you could sell your plans on a blog or something.  My husband bought plans online to build a shed for $7.  He would have had no clue otherwise.  Easy money if you are already designing it. 

[dragoncar]

Cool thread.  I'm thinking of putting in a natural gas firetable (building it myself, but hiring a plumber? to route the gas).  But now I'm thinking to just stick a duraflame log in there... can you elaborate on why you don't use the firepit?

[CU Tiger]

But here is something to consider.   A few years ago we bought a house.  The previous owner had just finished a backyard firepit with fixed bench seating.   My wife exclaimed "we will use it all the time as we love to camp so much!"   Me being the pessimist in the pair stated we would never use it.   So we lived there 18 months and basically used it for 2 hours  (she forced her son and me).

I imagine the fire pit set up cost the previous owner $400 and probably 10 hours of time. 

She now wants a similar set up in our backyard.  You can guess my response.   

We have an attached high sitting deck right at our kitchen already.  We put a fire pit there.  No need to travel further to entertain.

So the MMM question might not be -  Which is the best route to build it,  but rather will I use it enough to justify the costs?

For a long time I wanted a fire pit or a chiminea, but could not see paying a lot for one. I finally got creative and found one on Freecycle. The people who were giving it away did not use it very often...

We use it maybe 8-10 times a year...which is fine because it cost us zero dollars. I am glad I did not spend hundreds - or even tens - of dollars on it.

[Kimchi Bleu]

My hubby used to do everything himself with whatever help family could contribute.  Since he started his company we outsource everything.  We are lucky in that we usually pay family members to do the work.  (We have plumbers and handymen in the family)  If that doesn't work we haggle to get the services down.