Love DIY home improvements?

If you've got the passion and expertise, then consider yourself lucky as you can boost the appeal of your home without relying on professional home builders and contractors.

You can save a lot of money while getting your desired result when you replace lighting fixtures, paint rooms, refurbish old furniture pieces, and install new kitchen appliances, and do other home improvement projects on your own. However, there are certain home improvement projects you better leave to the experts.

Small mistakes done by an inexperienced homeowner can be a recipe for big and expensive problems which could’ve been avoided by hiring a professional.

If you love DIY and you’re looking to improve your home, here are 9 home improvement projects you might want to do with the help of a pro.

1. Adding or expanding a room

Adding more space for your growing family? Doing it on your own may not be the best way to go.

The purpose of DIY is for homeowners to save money. However, may DIYers end up losing more money when they attempted to add or expand a room on their own. Mistakes, whether they’re big or small, make the project more complicated than it already was, costing more money.

2. Converting into an open floor plan

Converting a compartmentalized room into an airy and inviting open space is another project you should leave to the pros.

Regardless of how many home improvement TV shows or online tutorials you have watched, never ever mess with removing a wall. Chances are, you could easily end up ruining your home’s structural integrity if you take out a wall or two. Other walls also often have electrical or plumbing features that can be hard to relocate.

Finally, you could jeopardize your safety and the welfare of the household when you turn down a wall and screw it up.

3. Adding or refinishing an attic or basement

Attics and basements are often used for storage. If you’re looking to expand your home, it may be tempting to simply renovate these areas to create more living space. However, the process can be harder than it seems.

Unlike other areas of your home, these spaces are less likely to have basic installation and aren’t usually kept at an even temperature. That said, they can be hotbeds for mold, water damage, mildew, and other moisture problems, which opens a whole other set of problems DIYers may not be equipped to handle.

4. Installing intricate flooring

Attempting to install new flooring on your own is one of the most common DIY projects that can go wrong.

Installing complex flooring, including hardwood floors, tile, and even carpet, is costly and time-consuming. You need to pay special attention to the choice of material, thickness or height level, right measurement, and appropriate installation required to create seamless transitions. One wrong measurement may require you to redo the whole project over again.

5. Refinishing cabinetry

This home improvement project may sound like an easy task to accomplish over the weekend, but the truth is this requires a lot of time.

You’ll do the dirty job, including removing the hardware and do some heavy lifting, using different screws and drills, sanding chipped or uneven surface areas, waiting for paint to dry, and finally installing the cabinetry. If you’re not experienced or fully prepared for the time commitment, you better leave this task to professional home builders or contractors.

6. Installing new kitchen/bath countertops

Countertops in the kitchen and bath can be such a statement in a home – if, and only if, done correctly. Some countertops have irregular shapes and awkward sizes and edges due to the appliance and sink cutouts. That said, they should be precisely fabricated by a professional.

7. Doing electrical work

Replacing a light fixture or changing a switch – these are pretty simple and safe for DIYers. But if a more complicated procedure is involved, like rerouting or extending wiring, it’s better paying for a professional work. You can’t afford the risk of shock or even fire, which could endanger not only your home but also your life.

8. Taking on complicated plumbing projects

For experienced DIYers, plumbing projects are a piece of cake. Perhaps, it depends on how bad the plumbing issue is. The rule of thumb is to consider visibility

If you can see what you’re doing, repairing a dripping faucet, for instance, these projects can be manageable. But if you need to work inside walls, or worse, in your home’s foundation, your project is a lot more complicated, thus needs professional help.

9. Sprucing up your exterior

Adding a garden pond and fountain and building a new deck – these are some of the outdoor living projects homeowners love to incorporate. They may seem fun and easy when you watch them on YouTube, but the truth is, they can become total disasters when you DIY.

Installing a garden pond the wrong way, for example, can cost more in the cleanup that it would’ve cost for professional installment. As for building a deck, you don’t want to risk safety to save a little money.

Author Bio: Sophie Harris is a resident writer for Wincrest Home Builders, one of NSW's most experienced and well-renowned home builders aiming at building and designing modern family homes in Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast, and the Hunter. She loves writing articles focused in real estate and interior design.