“Are you ready to learn how to change the oil in the car?”
12-year-old me: “Dad… when I am old enough to have a car, I will pay somebody to do that.”
Now adult me finds himself doing all kinds of things (no oil changes though cuz EV.)
Why is that?
DIY – Do It Yourself
3 years ago we made one of the worst financial decisions you can make and bought a house. This happened to also be one of the worst time management decisions you can make. Fortunately we have a flexible schedule.
Houses need a lot of ongoing care and maintenance, with the occasional medium sized project to keep things spicy. We have replaced a few windows, fixed a fence, extended the irrigation system, rebuilt a poorly constructed deck, fixed a small water leak, and now added a garage subpanel so we can run the house off the EV’s battery.
“But why not just pay somebody to do all of that for you?” asks younger me.
Because the quotes for these projects are stupidly high.
One example – I just finished installing a subpanel in the garage for about $500 in materials cost. (All of which was covered by Lowe’s gift cards with 10% redemption bonus via our Discover card 2x cash back.)
Outsourcing this job would have set me back an extra $6,000 or so.
subpanel quote
In total I estimate I spent about 16 hours on this project, although half of that was just me figuring out what to do next. Even so that is still a respectable hourly rate, $6,000 / 16 = $375. I also got to hang out in the cool crawl space on a hot day. And I only almost died once.
new subpanel with generator input (connected to EV). Access panel coming “soon”
D I Why
When it comes to house projects I have adopted an overall philosophy…
Even if I f*#3 it up twice, I’ll get it right the 3rd time and it will still cost less than paying somebody else, even after buying new tools. And then you have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can fix anything.
And that assumes the professionals would have done it right… which doesn’t seem to be the norm according to multiple neighbors.
The Instagram and Youtube algorithms seem to have figured this out. Instead of great content like “How to recover financially if you accidentally remodeled a kitchen”, they feed me stuff like “You can never have too many decks” and “How to spend your weekend working on stucco.”
That’s all fine though… learning how to do this stuff is fun in itself, basically a natural extension of making stuff with wood.
For example… as a fun project I installed this zipline kit (Amazon affiliate link) over the pool. The kids helped too!
Making a hole for 600 lbs of concrete, one teaspoon at a time
Check out the test video! It has 3 clips in a row – Kid #1 loving the zipline, kid #2 not so sure, and a weighted test bucket to get the tension right.
Upcoming projects
- Replace existing (old) hot water heater with heat pump (ideally before the old one fails)
- Knock down a wall (non-load bearing) in the kitchen and build island.
- Free-standing “tree” house. New launching point for zipline.
- Finish all previous projects past the 80% point ;)
Summary
Outsourcing home maintenance and repairs costs a lot – easily 3x – 10x the cost of materials. For somebody with time on their hands, learning and doing it yourself is a good investment. Don’t listen to the know-it-all 12-year-olds.
I’m just getting started and have already easily saved 10s of thousands of dollars. Even if you have to do it 3 times to get it right, it still costs less than outsourcing, and knowing you can fix it easily provides great peace of mind.
I’m very intrigued by your subpanel/EV power setup. Did you wire in a transfer switch? Are you planning on powering the house via the car on a regular basis, or is it a manual procedure that’s only practical in emergencies?
It is a manual procedure that is practical for use on a regular basis. The car is parked at home 23 hours per day most days and it only takes a few seconds to make the changeover with an interlock.
This youtube video shows the basic idea, although he did everything in the main panel.
https://youtu.be/ZmmhOXsIRjw?si=wASk2lQftBXMkZcf
I figured we saved easily $100,000 building out our travel van ourselves. A plus as you mentioned I know where to find and repair everything I have installed
Congratulations on the success of your project. Now for the reality and hopefully it will never happen to you or anyone in your family. When it comes to plumbing, electrical and roofing I will always go with a licensed trades person. Why you ask? Insurance. The last thing you need is to have an accident and your homeowners insurance not to cover it because the individual performing the work was not licensed. Big time bummer! Now you can counter that by saying “Oh there’s always someone out there that will sell you a policy.” True. But at what cost and quality. Just a friendly word(s) of caution.
It is interesting how different people assess risk. I think you are going to absolutely LOVE one of the next posts.
“Insurance”:
I DIY when I am dead certain that the result is indistinguishable from tradesman’s work. Example, changing electrical power socket or plug.
Upgrading circuit board with residual current devices I used a licensed electrician neighbour. Job done at low cost and short time with minimum power interruption. Better than DIY.
I could have DIYed and have the modifications inspected but insurance and cost were less important than making sure no none DIED, however slim the chance.
Latest DIY was re-gluing, sanding and painting laundry outside door. Less time than organising a tradesman to fit a new door and 20% of the cost.
Thanks for the honesty and your economic analysis for your home DIY projects. I always thought I was the only one needing to do most new projects twice to get it right. I agree, even with the redo’s, I think it’s best to DIY if you have the time for most projects.
Sometimes I start round 2 even before finishing round 1. You learn a lot in that first 20%.
As a good friend once told me – do you really think the guys at Jiffy Lube are smarter than you?
lol
A lot of this stuff is incredibly simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple.
There are some things that are more of an art form… In theory I understand how to draw, but my pictures leave a lot to be desired. The same goes for stucco texture matching, so that I outsourced.
I always say, “could you afford to hire yourself ?” The answer is almost always no
I also love doing this stuff. Just about to get started on a full kitchen remodel.
For you personally, how does living this life style (homeowner + doing DIY projects) compare to your earlier lifestyle (temporary renting & travelling the world)? Do you prefer one over the other? Are you spending more on one vs the other?
This is a very personal decision, but these two lifestyle choices are both really popular with FIRE enthusiasts, but very different from one another.
It’s very different. We made the decision based on having the kids in one place (friends/school/sports.) Once they both graduate from high school we will sell this place and become semi-nomadic again.
Renting is still better, imho. DIY projects replace bike rides and the next project occupies a lot of headspace.
I DIY because I enjoy the projects. Saving money is icing on the cake.
I come from a father who can fix anything who I held the flashlight for what seemed like eternity growing up. I’m not lazy, but I get so frustrated and feel so stupid doing even mildly easy house maintenance type things. I just don’t have the temperament for it. I would rather work at a job I am good at to pay for the repairs, that said I don’t even feel qualified to evaluate the work others do for said tasks. It’s a blessing to just “get it” and feel confident attacking problems. I feel that way in my job, not so for home projects.
This was the approach I took through the first many decades of life. My grandpa and uncles were all mechanics and could fix anything, but I was more interested in pretty much anything else.
YouTube university is amazing. 3 years ago I didn’t know anything about home maintenance/repairs. Each project I’ve done has been a deep learning experience, and now I think I could fix most anything (at least on the 3rd try.)
Inspiring. Hope I turn the corner like you did, as thus far I kind of dread home maintenance–just bought our first ever home about a year ago.
Dread disappears quickly with knowledge and experience.
Zip line looks great!
You’ll likely want to add installing an automatic whole house water shutoff to your to do list.
With the amount you travel you’d hate to come home to a house full of water because the toilet supply line hose burst while you were away and left water running full force for the time you were away…..ask me how I know.
Here’s 2 videos regarding such devices:
https://youtu.be/3CJwqTt92nY?si=60WXaUndHppqiwvj
https://youtu.be/-RmUVOu5v2E?si=lUinYaIlyp0PZCQA
Believe most insurance companies will give you a discount if these are installed.
Wish I had done this before.
Yes!
I’ve been looking at the Moen Flo. I like the additional data. I’ll probably install before we head back to Taiwan for Christmas break.
So *now* you can relate to Ronnie?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ploHR84-9UA
What did I just watch?!
Zipline jokes!!! Love it!!!
I get the point of saving money, and the satisfaction of knowing you can fix something. That’s what led me to paint walls, replace plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, and revamp landscaping.
However, a lot of people, me included, don’t always enjoy it. That’s why so many people I know hire house cleaners, when I have no problem doing it myself. But I don’t think I’d rather spend a sunny Saturday hunched over under a sink or sawing wood rather then enjoying some outdoor activity.
Many things are DIY, like cooking, but people still flock to restaurants. My cousin is a nurse, and I ask her why she always caters food when she invites us over, and she says “I’d rather work an extra 2 hours and come home to relax then slave over shopping/cooking/cleaning all day”
I guess if you are retired though, you can make it a hobby knowing you don’t have to do it.
Do it once vs Do it forever seems an important distinction.
A 1-time project of 16 hours doesn’t have much in common with preparing 1,095 meals per year for life. Outsourcing just a small percentage of those meals could save way more than 16 hours at a fraction of the price.
Hey Jeremy, since I moved back from Taiwan I have spent over 2 years completely remodeling and re floor planning our house. It’s now beautiful and modern. I spent about $200k in materials and some big sub jobs like the roof, but 95% was me DIY. But it’s a $500k+ remodel for “pros”. So I paid myself $300k for 2yrs of work, not bad! And with FIRE I had the time :).
That is some nice ROI
Gotta love YouTube U! Our fridge wasn’t cooling like it should, and other family members were ready to replace it or call repair folks. Some digging on YouTube revealed the cooling coil in the freezer wasn’t getting defrosted at all. After ordering a $40 part and spending half a day taking apart the freezer and installing, we were good as new. Not only a money savings, but some serious dopamine hits too.
“ Not only a money savings, but some serious dopamine hits too.”
This!!!
In 2021 during Covid I built my own outdoor kitchen. I had never done anything remotely like that before. I still get that dopamine “high” every time I BBQ!
I’m totally onboard with everything that Jeremy said except installing floating shelves. I hate those things!!! lol
One of the biggest keys is being retired since it affords you the time to do jobs, and stretch them out if necessary, which is tougher to do while working. During my working career, especially the last decade, I was gone quite a bit of the week so I had to hire for various jobs. But now I try to do everything myself since I am good with electricity, passable with plumbing, pretty good fixing and repairing appliances, and very good with things like yard work (including taking down and sawing up reasonably sized trees, not the 60+ foot ones though). Even jobs like stump grinding I will handle myself rather than pay hundreds of $ per stump, since I can get a grinder from Lowe’s for $170 or so for the day and take care of a number of them at once.
I also echo yours and others sentiments on YT videos and other online help. They can be a blessing for us DIYers.
Call me odd but I like stump grinding. I worked as manual labor for a landscaping company through high school and early college and enjoy all of that stuff.
Nice Job! It is not lost on me that you decided to do the work and no one else decided for you. Well done!
In my experience, most construction is actually done by the cheapest subcontractor no matter who bids
the job. You are smarter than most subcontractors.
Yessir. As a DIY project I’ll actually make a profit by powering the house with the car’s free electricity. At the quoted price from the professionals it would never be practical.
Youtube and the internet in general has been a game changer for DIYers. You do have to sift through sometimes conflicting advice, but 95% of the time I’ve been able to get the quality information I need to accomplish each project myself. I finished my basement in the mid 90s using information from books I bought at Menards and TV shows like Hometime – it was a lot tougher to get good content back then. Now that I’m in my mid-50s and semi-retired (working seasonally if I feel like it), I’ve saved myself thousands of dollars on home and pool projects and maintenance. I’m about to finish my son’s basement next and he lives 300+ miles away – certainly could never do that if I had a real job!
Home maintenance and personal finance, the internet has made lots of things more accessible
I recently tiled 700sqft in our main living area primarily because I was unwilling to swallow the labor cost. I also installed a new toilet. When I was working my corporate job I would have never had the energy or patience to read up on and do any of this stuff, but I have to say you look at things differently knowing every square inch of a LF tile floor. Every day I get to appreciate my perfectly placed edge trim, something I would have hardly noticed had someone else done it.
Right? Every time I walk down my new deck stairs I appreciate how well made they are
And the best part? If you’re retired you have plenty of time to do it over until you get it right.
I do not see the video of the zipline :(
I’m curious, is it a legal installation that meets code since it wasn’t done by a licensed electrician? I’m not questioning the safety, anyone can run wires, but is there a problem when you sell the house that the system wasn’t installed by a pro? I’m just asking, I have no idea how that works having never sold a house. We’ve been in our only house for nearly 50 years and have done some self wiring as well.
Oddly, the current setup is more code compliant than what was already there. But I don’t know the answer to your questions.
Where I live (and I believe most places), you are permitted to work in your own home and do not have to be licensed.(plumbing, electrical, etc) You need to take out a permit for the work(possibly submit plans if needed) and have it inspected by the building department to be code-compliant. I know a lot of places, don’t require permits for almost everything like they do here (NJ)- so I am not sure how it works in all communities.
After FI and leaving my job two years ago – I am preparing my house for selling to relocate. And it is many DYI chances like painting, cosmetics and the deep yard work, which I can do of course with the time I have. There is also a deeper meaning of taking care of the things you own and ‘keeping the house in order’ – I believe that too.
But I frequently think – I wish I would do the things I love instead – which I do well and with inspiration (I actually loved what I did at work, it is still my passion, but I wanted to relocate) than scrubbing the old paint. So with all respect to my house – I am brining the team in for repairs. I am of course cautious about unlimited fantasies for prices of some contractors – thats where my ‘hey, we all can do simple painting’ attitude and humor comes in.
Impressed. This sounds like a serious headache, I’m glad you have the bandwidth for it and get some satisfaction out of it.
Yes! I am kind of on the same trajectory.
I traveled the world for 3 years. Then was renting in Chicago. Then during Covid (of course!), I also made the bad financial decision to move to east coast and buy my first single family home because I wanted to do DIY projects and gardening!
Although, I still remain childless by choice. :)
I’ve renovated my kitchen (new lighting, backsplash, floors, painted cabinets, etc) and am currently finishing a second floor attic space.
I’ve learned SO much and saved SO much!
Definitely watch a ton of videos before and during each project. I’m even documenting some of it on IG: @LLHomeDIY :)
Love your posts!