When redecorating, the first thing you should do is decide between DIY and hiring local tradesmen. The difficulty is that, for every job, there is a slightly different answer. So, to help you decide, we’ve broken down some of the most common redecorating jobs to figure out whether you’ll need a helping hand or whether you can go it alone.

Painting the Walls

This one has DIY written all over it. You’ll need the right paint and the right equipment but, beyond that, painting the walls should be a doddle if you know what you’re doing. So grab some brushes and get to it.

Installing Electrical Fittings

Unless you want to risk being electrocuted, this is a job best left to the professionals. If you plan on installing new lighting or any other kind of electrical fixing, you should absolutely let an expert do it. It’s simply not worth the risk otherwise.

Carpets, Tiles & New Flooring

This one depends. Ripping up a new carpet and placing a new one down is easy if you have your measurements right. Feel free to get friends and family to help, but it’s certainly not a job which you need to pay someone for.

Tiles are easy enough to do yourself as well, though you might need a bit of experience. Then there are other flooring jobs which, depending on your skill level, you might want to pay someone to do. Wooden flooring, properly sanded down and varnished, can take days to do yourself. Other, more elaborate flooring styles can also take a long time if you want to do the work. Flooring is something of a judgement call.

Kitchen Refurbishment

If we’re talking about painting the kitchen cabinets, that’s an easy enough DIY job. However, anything that involves installing a new gas or electric oven is best left to local tradesmen. Hobs, whether they’re gas or electrical systems, also need an expert’s hand.

Repurposing Old Furniture

This is what DIY is all about. Not only are you saving money by doing a job yourself, but you’re also saving money by reusing something which you would have otherwise thrown away. These kinds of jobs, when approached with the right attitude, can (and should) be a lot of fun. There are countless ways you can get creative by repurposing old furniture, and the key to doing it right is personality. With that in mind, this is definitely a job you should be doing yourself.

Plumbing Work

This is definitely a job for local tradesmen. The only reason that you’d know how to do plumbing work would be if you’re a plumber yourself. Too many things can go wrong here to warrant giving it a go. It’s not exactly as dangerous as doing electrical work but, if you do mess up, you’ll likely have to fork out even more cash to get the problem fixed. Not to mention the fact that you might not be able to have a hot shower for the next couple of days!

Hanging Up Decorations & Accessories

The devil is in the detail and, when redecorating the home, it’s easy to overlook the difference a well-placed painting or wall fixing can make. This is a DIY job for certain, but it should also be quite a personal thing. The location of your chosen wall art will often have a lot to do with how you feel about it.

Then there are the other home accessories which, once again, have a lot more impact on a room than people often give credit. New curtains or even a new lampshade can change the way a room looks and feels. When all the big jobs are done, these sorts of finishing touches are a great way to put your own personal stamp on a home. Besides, what’s more personal than doing it yourself?!