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Common Home Repairs That Should Be Left To The Professionals

Completing home repairs helps boost your home’s appraisal value, which will put more money in your pocket. Unfortunately, DIY repairs don’t have the same effect as professional jobs do. In fact, DIYing home projects might even decrease the value of your home. NerdWallet notes that a DIY paint job can cut up to $1,700 from a home’s value. Home appraisers look at the quality of jobs done, so hiring a professional to do the work is your best bet.

This can be expensive, but it’s important to pay to have them done right the first time so you won’t have a larger problem to deal with later. Courtesy of Enguard Contractors, here are some common home repairs that require a professional.

Updating the Kitchen

If your kitchen is badly outdated, consider adding a few new appliances, including a dishwasher. You’re better off hiring a plumber to help you with major work involving pipes — one false move and you could be dealing with a flooded kitchen. Save yourself future headaches and more expenses by searching online for certified plumbers near you. This way, you can read reviews and find someone with a good reputation. On average, you can expect to pay $45 to $150 per hour for a professional plumber; when you consider the cost of repairing a flooded house, it’s money well-spent.

Repairing the Foundation

The foundation of your home will settle over time and eventually crack. Little cracks are common, but larger cracks will need to be fixed soon after being discovered. You can tell the foundation needs repairing if there are cracks in the exterior sheetrock or bricks, if it’s hard to open and close doors, or if there are slagging or sloped walls or ceilings. This can be due to the house settling with age, the weather, the soil, or possibly even a larger problem. Repairing the foundation should be left to the professionals and can cost anywhere between $450 for smaller projects to over $10,000 for larger ones. Get in touch with the concrete professionals at Enguard Contractors to get an estimate on your foundation repair.

Rewiring the Home

In order to tell if your home needs to be rewired, State Farm recommends keeping an eye out for these signs: burning smells, loose outlets, buzzing sounds, dimming or flickering lights, and electrical shocks when plugging in a cord. If you notice any of these, you will probably need to rewire your home to keep your family safe. Homes older than 25 years old often need to be rewired. You might also need some rewiring if you’re redecorating and a lighting designer or interior decorator has recommended it based on their plans for your space. Wiring is replaced by either concealing wires over walls and ceilings, or by breaking through the wall to install them before re-plastering. The typical cost for having a home rewired runs anywhere from $8,000 to $30,000 depending on labor, size of the home, and materials.

Refinishing the Wooden Floors

Refinishing floors might seem like a simple DIY project, but this can be a major undertaking if you don’t know what you’re doing. Before calling in the professionals, see if your floors can be shined up with some elbow grease. If cleaning doesn’t help and your floors need extensive work, it’s time to turn to a professional. They will be able to tell you whether you simply need a recoating or a complete refinishing.

Recoating wood floors adds a protective layer, whereas refinishing requires sanding down the floors before applying a new protective coating. Refinishing adds a new layer of durability, makes the room easy to clean, and provides a warm and shiny look. According to The Spruce, the average cost to refinish a hardwood floor is $1,761, but the price typically ranges from $1,074 to $2,486.

Replacing the Septic System

Septic tank problems tend to be nauseating, and usually there isn’t an easy solution. Regular cleaning is a great way to prevent problems and lengthen the life of your tank. You should also be mindful of what goes into the septic tank. If there is sewage in your home or the drain field is soggy or smelly, you’ll need to hire someone to fix the issue. A plumber can pump out the drain field smell for around $200 to $400, while a broken pipe could cost closer to $600. More expensive projects include replacing a tank, which can cost more than $1,000.

Consider Temporarily Relocating

If you’re having major renovations done to your home, you may discover that it’s easier on everyone if you temporarily rent a home or apartment. Fortunately, there are thousands of apartments for rent in Denver, and many of them offer short-term leases. Of course, you’ll need room in your budget for this expense, but if you can swing it, you may discover that it reduces your stress and allows the projects to move forward quickly.

It’s great to want to DIY home repairs and maintenance, but some of the most common home repairs are too big to take on by yourself. Fortunately, professionals can safely address even the most dangerous of your home’s fixer-upper needs, whether that is bringing in new electrical wiring or repairing your broken septic system.