Projects made easier
With Ian being multi-skilled we are very lucky when it comes to DIY projects around the home as there isn’t much he can’t turn his hand to. We find that we very rarely need to call in help from tradesmen as Ian is more than happy and capable to do things himself. This helps us hugely when we are working to a budget on a project.
Ian worked for a family run business for many of years. He really enjoyed his time working for the company. It is working for this company that he managed to do an apprenticeship as well as gain his skills and knowledge needed for his chosen career which was to become a fully qualified electrician.
Whilst working for this company he would work on many of different sites. He would work alongside many of different tradesmen and this is where he gained a lot of extra skills – skills that are very handy today!
Two of our sons are now following in Ian’s footsteps. Our eldest son Danny works on different jobs on different sites. He also works alongside different tradesmen and is also learning different trades just like Ian did. Bradley our youngest is currently at college on an engineering course which he is really enjoying.
We have put together a list of ways you could help yourself save some money when working on a D.I.Y project yourself at home
10 way’s you could help yourself to stay on budget with your D.I.Y projects:
- Plan ahead– Good planning saves you from any surprises that could occur later in your project that is not planned or budgeted for. Good planning saves you time and money. It helps you to be organised and prepared for the job in mind.
- Set a timescale – Set a timescale per job to work with, allowing enough time to complete it safely and to plan. That way you will know roughly how long each job should roughly take.
- Set a price – Set yourself a realistic budget to work with. Try your best to stay within your budget. I know it is easy to get sidetracked when busy but keeping track of your outgoings will really help you keep track of the money being spent.
- Allocate jobs – Do you have a friend or family member in the trade? Call in favours from friends and family. You will probably be surprised how many will be more than happy to lend a hand for a few hours. This will help you keep to your timescale and also help you keep within your budget.
- Always shop about to find best prices – It is always worth shopping about to see what deals are about. You never know you might just find yourself a great bargain and be pleasantly surprised. Also try and borrow tools needed for jobs rather than buy them, money saved here can be saved or spent elsewhere if needed.
Take notes of everything and always have them to hand – It always pay to check everything twice
- Communication – Communication is an absolute MUST. With drawings, measurements or even written instructions. Anyway in which you find helps you communicate with anyone helping on your project then do it. It helps massively and could save from missed communication problems which could result in delays or even prove costly.
- Keep track of everything – It always helps to keep track of everything so take notes where possible. Of time on/left on jobs, budget spent/left, jobs done/left to do. Keep hold of all receipts collected and also contact details of any tradesmen used.
- Pitch-in – Don’t be afraid to get stuck in. Bring out any hidden D.I.Y skills you may have, make the tea, clear up, fetch/carry. It all helps at the end of the day and time is money.
- Make compromises – If you find you are getting a little to close to your budget for comfort then have a little re-think…..do you really need all of your chosen items? could you make a few changes to possibly get something a little cheaper or even do without one or two items? opt for cheaper if needed.
- Work as a team – A little give and take on a project is always needed. We all have our own way of doing things, our own skills etc, but working as a team is always best. Sit down together and put a project plan together. Put a list together of jobs to be done and agree an order in which you all agree to work in.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help where needed
We have done so many different D.I.Y projects at home, our latest being our garden where Ian called in help as it was in urgent need of a makeover and he has friends in the trade. We all got stuck in and helped them the best we could but they done the bulk of it. Ian will turn his hand to many jobs but one he hates is plumbing and drainage so he avoids those sort of jobs and leaves them to the drainage services. To be honest I don’t blame him either!
Do you have a job you hate doing and leave to the experts?
