DIY tasks can be anything from putting a picture frame on a wall to remodelling your entire garden. Some are easy enough to be done in a few minutes with the right materials, but others? They can take days or even weeks, and require a lot of time effort and money. For those big DIY tasks, would you hire a professional to take the burden off your shoulders?

Some of us might feel like we can take on any task, any size, but there is a limit to what you can do by yourself.

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Interior painting

Whilst painting your home it may feel like a tedious chore and it might be worth considering doing it yourself. It will take longer than if you hire professional, but it could save you a lump of money.

You can pick up the paint materials and good quality paint for around £100. You might think that is steep, but if you consider that a typical painter and decorator will charge between £190-425 per room, that initial £100 doesn’t seem so bad does it? If you have enough patience and attention to detail, you can achieve the same quality for less than half of the price of a professional.

However, you will need to schedule more time to do it yourself. You can expect to have a painter for around a week if you are having multiple rooms decorated, so doing it yourself as a less experienced painter can take longer.

If you don’t have masses of spare time on your hands, it might be worth considering hiring a paint spray system. It will cut down your time painting but will cost you around £50 for one day, but then only £28 for any additional days. But remember to check before you hire, as they aren’t suitable for all walls.

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Remodelling your garden

A full garden remodel can be hard physical labour even for the fittest person. From start to finish, it could take you weeks rather than days to complete. Hiring a landscape gardener can take the frustration and burden off your shoulders but can set you back a huge £7,000 upwards.

This kind of project starts with clearing the area. You’ll need to smash out any pre-existing concrete and rubble. You can pick up the tools for around £20 – normally a sledgehammer or pickaxe would be best. This will be hard physical labour that requires a full body activity meaning you will burn a lot of calories.

Alternatively, you could hire your own digger to take the bulk of the physical labour out of the equation. This also speeds up the task, but rentals vary between £60-95 per day, or £350-400 for a week.

Don’t forget any safety equipment – we recommend safety goggles so to prevent any shards hitting your eyes. After clearing out the garden space, you will need to get rid of the rubble, concreate and earth – hiring a skip can cost you around £250 for a day hire depending on skip size.

You will have to resurface the garden yourself, putting down all the new materials. Block paving can be expensive but when finished, it is relatively low maintenance.

Does that £7,000 still seem steep? Perhaps this job is best left to the experts…

Trimming tall trees

Tall trees and hedgerows can require a lot of effort and time to keep under control – and it can be very dangerous. In fact, the USA had 580 deaths due to tree trimming accidents between 2009 and 2015. Is it worth the risk?

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Although hiring an arborist can be expensive, it does take away the risks. Traders can price differently around the country and depending on the work carried out. Branch thickness, how much waste needs to be removed following the work, and the area, all affect the price. Rates start from around £250 per day for a team of two surgeons.

Alternatively, you could hire your own cherry picker or access platform to reach high-up trees. This means you can carry out the work yourself but in a much safer environment. With self-drive hire available from £99 per day and up, this is an option worth considering – although some companies ask for certification.

Obviously, this is just a sample of the work you can carry out on your home, but whether it is changing a lightbulb or building an extension, you can technically accomplish anything on your own. However, to achieve the best quality and save time, some projects are best left to the professionals. With that being said, it can be tough to balance the time and effort with any potential cost saving. DIY can be thrilling and exciting, and often cheaper, but that doesn’t mean it is always the best choice.