When to Hire Help

You should hire help, basically when you want or need to. You may choose to hire a contractor from the get go, and have them execute the entire plan. If you want to do most of the work, or all of the work yourself, you may still need professional help at certain points in the process. There are a few constructional phases that unless you have the time to dedicate to extensive research, you should consult a contractor or specialist. If you are not well versed in these areas, hiring a professional may be the most cost effective option in the long run. You don’t want to attempt these major projects in the bathroom remodel and cause a more expensive mistake that may have to be professionally corrected.

For example, ventilation is a major concern in a bathroom space. Some older homes where built before ventilation was a required code. If for some reason you live in a home that doesn’t have ventilation, or doesn’t have proper ventilation, you will need to add this and the process can be very demanding. This usually requires you add ventilation systems through your attic. This can be a daunting task for the inexperienced homeowner.

Structural changes can be another aspect of a remodel that you may want to hand off to a contractor. Contractors, architects, and interior designers can be well educated in the field of interior structure and can have a greater understanding of how to recognize and work with load bearing walls. If you must push a wall beyond the space of your existing home, this process also affects the foundation as well as the roofline. This brings up several other building codes and permits that must be taken into consideration.

If you have determined that you do not have the adequate tools for certain projects, and do not plan to rent them, you should also consider using a professional. Sometime the cost of tools, your personal time, the time it takes to complete the project and the quality of the remodeling project can easily justify using a professional.

Sometime a homeowner will start a project and realize that between work, family, taking the kids to daycare, and planning the next church outing, that it simply isn’t feasible to finish this project in a timely manor. If this is the case, there is nothing to be ashamed over, sometimes we don’t realize the work involved with such a major project. If, however, this is the case, you should have done all the work up until this point, accurately, carefully, and with the utmost attention to detail. This will certainly be noticed, and appreciated if and when you need to call in a designer, contractor, or other professional to complete the project for you.

If you decide to use a contractor for certain mentioned tasks, let them know upfront that you will be doing most of the work, and will only need assistance with particular parts. With that said, ask them to give you bids on the tasks separately as well as combined. Always take several bids to ensure you are getting the best price possible.