Are you a DIY fan? Do you love turning your hand to home improvements? DIY can be so rewarding but how risky is it? Know the dangers and learn how to DIY safely. No one wants a DIY disaster on their hands!
It’s immensely satisfying to create, update or repair something ourselves but it’s vital that we protect ourselves and our families from the possible dangers. No amount of DIY is worth an injury or worse is it? Even drilling the wall to hang a picture is not without its risks! Let’s clue ourselves up to possible #DIYDisasters and enjoy many more years of happy and safe creativity.
My DIY Journey
Have you got a favourite DIY project you’ve done or are planning for? Over the last couple of years I have done more DIY than I ever thought possible!
All of my adult life I have yearned to move out of the city and head to a quieter countryside life. It took a very long time to happen but a couple of years ago it finally became a reality and I was able to call a higgledy piggledy country cottage my home! Bliss!
Built in 1812 my darling house needed so much TLC to make it habitable, and with a very limited budget, I had no choice but to roll my sleeves up and let myself get bitten by the DIY bug. Once snagged there was no turning back! With the help of You Tube and DIY manuals I was amazed by what I was able to accomplish albeit slowly!
It’s hard to choose a favourite project because it was a whole house overhaul and they all sort of merged into one long and enormous DIY.
I still have one fireplace to rip out and open up and some chimney repairs to do but the bulk of the work is done now and we have a home rather than a building site.
The amount of satisfaction and pride in my accomplishments was and still is immense. There’s nothing quite like looking at something and thinking I did that!
Here are just some of the tasks I had to learn to do to make our house a home:
- Tile floors and walls
- Replace missing floorboards
- Sand and varnish floors
- Put up coving
- Attach skirting
- Put up plaster board
- Put up insulated ceilings
- plaster and skim walls
- Rebuild a fireplace
- Channel in wiring
- Hang doors
- Glaze a green house
- Remove and re-roof an outbuilding
- Build shelves
- Hang wallpaper
- Paint
Keeping Safe and Avoiding DIY Disasters
The savings I made in doing the work myself rather than getting in professionals runs into thousands! I think I was lucky in a way that everything was completely new to me because it meant I had to research how to do each step and that meant I read up about the possible pitfalls and dangers before they happened and was able to keep myself and my kids safe!
Some of the dangers I found were visually obvious like asbestos and lead work but some of them were completely hidden and unexpected like electrical wiring and water pipes running all over the place behind the walls where you’d never expect them to be! It meant absolutely no drilling walls without checking what was behind it first!
As much as I love to save money I knew when I’d reached my ability limit and ended up hiring in an electrician and plumber. I also hired in a registered professional team to remove the asbestos. When I saw the asbestos men tackle the job looking like spacemen in coveralls, boots and full face masks I knew I’d made the right choice even though it was an expensive one.
If you’re thinking of embarking on some home improvements big or small check out this great infographic below from Slater and Gordon to see if you are aware of the risks before you start! Being aware of possible DIY disasters helps us reduce the risks and keep ourselves and our families safe.
When I was researching my DIY tasks I found You Tube videos immensely helpful and my nearest Wickes and B&Q had some great free project sheets detailing the step by steps and equipment needed too.
I know it’s been said a thousand times before but preparation is key every step of the way!
Fun Summer Crafts To Do With Kids:
This is a collaborative post in association with Slater and Gordon