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I am noticing these days that peoples attitudes towards home improvement projects run the gamut.

Some folks have no experience with any kind of carpentry or home repair work but they watch HGTV and just know they can rehab a house and turn a profit.  I think they are being kind of unrealistic.

There are others who look at a home they are interested in buying and end up moving on because  they feel it will cost too much to have the entire interior re-painted and they don’t like the colors.  Wall paper is sometimes a deal killer too.   None of these are really insurmountable obstacles.

There are others who have little experience with things like painting a room but are willing to learn.  There are actually many home improvement projects that home owners can do themselves if they don’t mind working, and maybe learning.  it can be rewarding too.

Plumbing and electrical work require expertise and permits.  I would never encourage anyone to install their own furnace or rewire their home.  Gas lines should be avoided as well.

There are some web sites and home improvement books that can help home owners learn how to do some of the work that does not require permits or contractors.  One is: Hometime.  It has videos and instructions on common and not so common house hold projects like laying ceramic tile or doing some landscaping.   There is also an entire section on wall coverings, including paint, with instructions on how to prepare surfaces and apply paint.

I have a friend who learned how to lay ceramic tile from reading books and taking a class at a local building supply store. I have seen her work and she is very good.  She isn’t afraid to learn and has even built a fence and put in some new wood flooring.   I am not sure I would take on putting in ceramic tile but she has offered to help if I ever decide I want to try it.

Home improvement projects are not for everyone but it is possible to learn how to do many things.  For people who are buying  a first home and want to save some money and build a little equity a home that is less than perfect may be the answer. 

When my husband and I bought our home we just assumed we would be doing some work and over the years we have done many smaller projects and even some bigger ones.  It gets easier with experience.  Most of our neighbors have also done a lot of the work on their home themselves.  All of us have had to live for months with wall paper we did not like and rooms that needed repainting but some how we survived it.

I even watch HGTV, I like the design on a dime program becasue they are so creative.  It give me ideas.  i just wish I had more time.  Which is another important point, sometimes it is just better to hire it out.  I’ll never forget the time I decided to paint my office during the peak of the spring selling season.  A painter would have gotten in my way for a day or maybe two but by doing it myself my office was a wreck for two weeks.