One of the hardest parts of owning a home is handling the repairs. You think you know a little bit about construction so you get the idea that you can do the project yourself. There is no problem doing it yourself, but there isn’t an issue with making a service call either. Here are some things to consider the next time something needs to be fixed at your house and you need to determine the best way to handle it. Should you call a handyman or do it yourself?
1. It’s causing stress to other areas of your life.
People face different challenges in their lives. Different things cause them stress. For many people, a common problem in their house could carry a lot of anxiety with it. This could be a burner that won’t light or a pipe that is leaking. Whatever the reason, it’s causing stress. Maybe so much so that you’ve fought with a spouse, get angry more often, or have spells of depression.
If this is you, it’s a good idea to seek help, both with the project and with the anger or stress it has brought on. Counseling can help reduce your stress and allow you to move forward with tackling your problems, both internally and externally. If this is your first time seeing a psychologist, here are some ideas of what to expect during your first therapy session. After your first session with a counselor, you may realize that you don’t have to tackle all of your issues alone.
2. You’re dissatisfied with the way your house is currently functioning.
Where you live should be a good fit for you and your family. As you and your family change, so do your needs in a house. This is completely normal. You want to make sure that your home functions is still the right fit for you. If you find yourself dissatisfied with where the dishwasher is or the fact that your laundry is in the basement, it might be time to make some changes. Often, these to-do improvements can start to add up. It’s a good idea to seek some professional help if your wish list is longer than one or two things.
3. There are issues with your furnace and other appliances.
Not a lot of people have a diverse background in-home repair. Knowing what to do with a furnace as much as you can fix your plumbing comes from either learning the skills for a career or a lifetime of gathering knowledge. For example, most people don’t know what to do when a furnace sputters and refuses to turn on. Is it the hose? The gas valve? The burner itself? What are spark plugs anyway? These are not questions whose answers you should guess at. A furnace is a major appliance that needs the attention of a professional handyman. You don’t want to be messing around with wires, an igniter, and a gas valve without the proper knowledge—that can be a recipe for disaster.
And it’s not just the furnace that can have issues. Many of the other appliances in your home can begin to malfunction or stop working altogether. When these are important items like a heater, it’s a good idea to seek professional help. The last thing anyone needs is to not have a heater in the middle of winter.
4. You keep putting off the project yourself.
Procrastination catches up with everyone. It can really have some negative effects on your mental health. It’s a behavior we all wish we could eliminate, but sadly, that’s not realistic. However, if you find yourself putting off those household fixes constantly, it might be time to handle your procrastination in a different way. Now would be a good time to call a handyman to help you make some progress. Even if they don’t do everything you need to have done, it can motivate you to move forward with some other projects and get you out of your stagnation.
5. You’ve already tried to fix the issue.
There is nothing wrong with trying to handle an issue yourself. Especially if you think it will be a quick fix. However, if you’ve tried multiple times to correct a problem to no avail, it might be time to take the next step to fix the issue. Before you make the situation worse, call a handyman if you can’t seem to figure out the problem on your own.