OMG - Uncledave_CT I TOTALLY AGREE -

ripping out the old flooring was hands down THE WORST job in the whole DIY. I would say the top worst jobs in the whole process were:

1. busting up old ceramic tile, and dealing with the unbelievable amounts of DUST from that (I have scars on my hands from a few shards flying around)

2. Laying new subfloor and tile - on my hands and knees for days on end putting down Ditra (ok that was the easiest part, the ditra anyway), thinset, tile, then thinset
then crawling around again to grout and then a few days worth of scrubbing grout haze

3. holding up cabinets (even using a ledger board) while my husband switched drills to attach them to the wall - i lift weights on a regular basis but I was not prepared for how tired my arms would get

I would do it again.

In a heartbeat! We also did a gut -- more, even since we had to go through the concrete slab to run gas lines and relocate water and drain lines. But we got more kitchen for less money, and were able to do many things that we'd have never been able to explain to a contractor. Yeah, it took a while. But it was SO worth it!

We've been renovating since June 1st when we took possesion of our new home. Total absolute whole house reno and most of the work has been DIY. We certainly had to su b out some of it as DH just couldn not do it by himself working full time too.
We did all the demo and have had contractors (frineds in the trade industry mostly) do the drywall, HVAC, a lot of trim and plumbing. The kitchen was not DIY but most of the electrical is. We did 50/50 the painting and trim and had someone come in to do the tile work.
DH would say that yes he would do it again as he loves it.
Personally, I'm not so sure. I guess the 50/50 split has been alright. I love coming home though and finding that work was done during the day as opposed to after work and week-ends being eaten up not to mention the summer!
We have 2 small boys who miss spending timewith us and I am looking forward to a lazy winter cozy-ing up in ront of the new gas fireplace and doing NOTHING!!
just getting ready for the spring when the deck will need to be built, landscaping, exterior facade, etc.......

We are in year 6. My husband has told me that if I ever want to do something like this again - I need a different husband.

But I can't see us hiring someone else to do any work and I hate leaving things as they are . . .

Cathy

Thanks everyone for sharing. After all the blood, sweat & tears, the fruits of our toils make it all worthwhile. There's satisfaction in a job well done, and being able to say, "I did it!"

My DS is only 7, but I try to find ways to involve him so he doesn't feel like he's being ignored. There aren't many big jobs a little guy can do safely, but whether he's handing Daddy a tool, or helping test my wiring skills by flipping the light switches on & off, he's proud to help and be a part of it.

I've learned a lot along the way, and have surprised myself a few times. When this is done, I look forward to the next project.

Not only would I take on a DIY again, I did.....3 times! Only it wasn't a kitchen reno, it was a whole house build from design to completion. All 3 houses were 95% or better DIY. I am very happy with our decision to do things this way. It was much cheaper (although each build took years), and everything was done right. No shoddy workers to deal with, no crooked GCs. You know the old saying "if you want something done right, do it yourself"? It's really true!

We've been DIY remodeling our entire house, room by room for 2 1/2 years (3 rooms to go!). The only things we've hired out are granite counters, glass shower doors, and drywall.

Our kitchen took a week from demo to usability with plywood counters (we both took the week off work), then a few more weeks to finish up trim and wait for counter fabrication. It was a gut down to drywall and subfloor as well, minor moving of plumbing and electrical, then put it all back together. Our flooring was easy to take out, as it was carpet (!!!). But we've pulled out tile and vinyl in other rooms.

No regrets over DIY-ing, but it has taken longer than we planned, in part because we've added to the original scope and because life and its obligations have consumed increasing amounts of time. And there was a 6-month stretch when we had 3 major projects going on at the same time and we didn't have a sanctuary in the house that was dust-free. That kind-of sucked.

It's very rewarding to be able to say "I did that" and I like the flexibility of being able to change my mind mid-course and not being hit with an upcharge.

I moved in to my Southern California, mid-century modern home with no experience in construction or remodeling. I figured: "How hard could this be? Here's what I did:

1. Bought a Black & Decker DIY book on every trade I expected to encounter. These don't necessarily "teach" you everything. They do allow you to supervise work, and you have a vague idea of how things are "supposed" to happen. Armed with these books, and a decent knowledge of self-studied local building codes (most, available online), and you serve as your own general contractor.

2. Bought all name-brand tools (mostly Rigid, some Craftsman, etc.). Stay away from Ryobi. Can't go wrong with either Rigid or DeWalt brand tools. Here are the power tools I use the most often:
a. 12" Rigid compound miter saw (often referred to as a "chop saw").
b. Rigid battery-powered drill (This is a $150 drill. Buy a good one. There's a huge difference in torque).
c. Rigid AC-powered 1/2" hammer drill.
d. Rigid AC-powered reciprocating saw.
e. Craftsman AC-powered circular saw.
f. Craftsman table saw.
g. Fein MultiMaster oscillating tool (Yeah, the one on TV. It's $400, but it's the most amazing tool I own).

3. Hired a licensed electrician to install a new panel, and perform 99% of all new electrical work. I pre-purchased all parts, panel, breakers, etc., from Home Depot and local electrical suppliers myself. Total electric cost for kitchen, including a new 200A 40/40 panel, plus a ton of other stuff: about $2,500 (including parts).

4. Hired a qualified plumber who performed 100% of plumbing requirements. Cost to move kitchen sink drain: $190.

5. Built and installed all Ikea kitchen cabinetry (Abstrakt white) myself: $2,400.

6. Had a fabricator measure and install Silestone quartz countertops in Expo Grey Leather (honed): $2,880, installed, including tax.

Hell yes, I'd do it again. I saved a fortune and was able to design, re-design, re-think, and refine as components moved into the space. It's a lot of work, but I easily saved $30-$50,000, since I live in a pretty affluent zip code (you get quoted way more if you live in well-to-do communities).

P.S. We're just finishing the bathroom today (GF is patching the cement board now)--did it in about a week. Will paint tomorrow and have plumber in the next day to re-plumb sink drain and install toilet. Three-wall tiled shower, tiled floor, custom-built Silestone vanity. All Kohler fixtures. It only cost $250 to cut and edge the vanity out of the cut-out left from the kitchen sink. Total cost of the vanity: $450. Total cost of entire bathroom remodel, including all fixtures, flooring, labor, etc.: under $4,000.

Yeah, definitely. It was a HUGE project, but we did it in only 3 months (and we both have day jobs!) We are pretty used to DIY, we completely remodeled/renovated our first house, room by room. Of course we were much younger then! haha!
Anyway, DIY (for us) is about saving the money and also the feeling of satisfaction. My husband is a perfectionist and he takes a lot of pride in his work. When the job is done, we know it was done right.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our (95%) DIY kitchen!

A few hard-earned DIY tips:

1. Hire day-laborers for tough, back-breaking work that doesn't require much skill. In Los Angeles, the average rate is about $100/day. I deliberately overpay them at $150/day because they're typically worth it, and more.

2. You need time off work to supervise any tradespeople (e.g., plumbers, electricians). Even licensed tradesmen aren't familiar or don't care about code compliance of other trades. They NEED supervision (so you can verify plumb lines, squares, and levels; be able to precisely specify placement of junction boxes, etc.; confirm code compliance, etc.)

3. The trick to saving money is to be able to stage your tradespeople ONE AT A TIME. Difficult to do at times, but having three different crews in your house at one time is expensive, and you can't supervise all work adequately.

4. Expect it to be a dirty, dusty, hellish experience that takes much longer than you anticipated.

5. Pre-1990 built homes are chock-full of asbestos. It's everywhere. None of the DIY books or Home Depot-type staff provide adequate information about these materials. Even experienced tradesmen are unaware of the countless materials that contain asbestos.

6. DIY books don't teach you all the "tricks." There are hundreds of variables that may be encountered in every task, even something as "easy" as a simple as framing task. And almost every "problem" requires a special tool or technique that's often not generally known outside of the trade.

7. Try to buy all of your supplies yourself and have them out and ready, so when your tradespeople arrive, they have exactly the stuff you want them to use. This can also make them more efficient, meaning you get more stuff done for the money by the end of the day.

8. Buy the best materials you can afford; e.g., don't buy "greenboard" when for a couple dollars more, you can get Hardibacker or Durock (cement board) instead. Spend the money on the materials.

9. Forget nails. Screwgun everything. Buy the best damned battery-powered drill you can afford (Rigid, Dewalt, Hilti, etc.). You'll use it for everything. Learn as much as you can about the different kinds of fasteners available. Spend a few hours at Home Depot and review all of the available fastener types (wood screws, masonry anchors, etc). Having the right fastener is the key to everything.

10. Know that, often, you can't figure many things out until you demo.

11. The jigsaw is the most useless power tool ever invented.

12. Stud finders are often horribly inaccurate. Find the stud by drilling small holes into your drywall first. When the bit meets some resistance, and then comes out with tiny wood shavings on it, you've hit wood!

13. ALWAYS use a fiberglass ladder (NEVER aluminum or any other conductive metal) when there's even a REMOTE possibility you may be drilling/working near a hidden electrical conduit.

14. Buy the best tools you can afford.

We're almost a year into a full-house renovation, which will probably end up about 90% DIY.

We'd DIY-ed smaller reno projects on our previous home, plus a full refit on a 40-foot sailboat, and all those previous projects had gone quite well, so we felt competent to take this BIG project on. I have to say there have been many times we've regretted it!! To be fair, there have been a lot of unexpected major surprises, though. We thought we'd be totally done (interior + exterior) by now, but I'd say we're about halfway.

I think the WORST part is that we've had absolutely no time for our daughter.Every single weekend and after-work free time has been spent working on the house, often in dirty and stressful conditions. The house has been mostly piles of parts, materials and debris all year. Poor kid!!!

I have been the project manager and GC and it's been nearly a full-time job at many stages. Researching, sourcing, and ordering parts and materials takes a long time! I've also been the designer for some pretty major changes, with input from architect friends and the talented folks on GW of course! I spent months and months at a drafting board last spring trying to figure out how to add another bedroom and make a workable kitchen, living, dining area.

I concur with those above who say that even when you hire subcontractors, you have to be prepared to spend time and mental energy supervising. The times I did NOT do that were the times things had to be ripped out and redone later.... so even when you spend the $$ you still need to do some of the work. I guess that's why people hire General Contractors to do that for them.

I'll add a tool that's indespensible for any major project: a compressed-air nailer!! We had access to both a framing gun and a finish nailer, and MAN did they make that work go so much faster!!!!!

Tools, I agree, are so important. You just can't do a good job without the right tools. Or maybe you can but it takes a lot more time and frustration! In my Christmas stocking I got a pliers set and under the tree was a screwdriver-tip kit and a new screwdriver set from DH. Romantic, huh? But now he won't worry I'm borrowing his work tools (he works at a boat yard which is GREAT for us since he has access to the whole woodshop there with awesome woodworking tools.)

Books: We find that the Taunton pro series is best for really useful info.

Here's the scope of our project and what we've done so far:
Landscape drainage- 25% DIY, 75% subcontractor
Main living space (kitchen, mudroom, dining, living) reconfigured, including moving several bearing walls):
-demo: DIY, including walls, tile flooring, subfloor, plumbing & electrical
-rough framing: subcontractor
-sheetrock: subcontractor
-plumbing: DIY, major replace entire kitchen
-electrical: DIY, major, rewire 4 new rooms to code
-cabinet install: DIY
-appliance install: DIY
-counter install: subcontractor (marble)
-hardwood flooring install and finish: DIY
-slate tile flooring: DIY
-window/door trim: DIY (ongoing)
-backsplash tile: DIY (not done yet, she says sheepishly!)
-paint: DIY
-woodstove install: DIY
-pantry cabinetry build and install: DIY
-built in bookcases buiild and install : DIY
-heating/radiators install throughout: DIY

Master bedroom/master bath/new office-bedroom-
-demo: 50% DIY, 50% subcontractor (it was a mold issue and the insurance paid for much of this work to be done in order to eradicate the mold)
-framing: subcontractor with close DIY supervision!
-sheetrock: ditto above, plus we had to DIY a bit of it.
-electrical: DIY
-plumbing: DIY except for basic DWV layout
-heating: DIY
-tile: Bill Vincent!!
-radiant heat floor install: DIY
-window/door/finish trim: DIY
-tub, toilet, vanity, etc install: DIY
-paint: DIY

Exterior-
remove all vinyl siding and re-side with cedar shakes; paint all exposed concrete areas; install 3 new windows; build 3 porches and one deck; paths and landscaping: all DIY

Phew. Now I'm really tired. Ugh- back to painting trim and installing toilets and lights today!!!

Wow! That's a LOT of work!

Yes, of course, if you're doing a lot of framing, a nailgun and compressor is great to have. My point about nails was mainly regarding the use of hammer-and-nails. This method tends to kick other components out of line, and can lead to other inadvertent damage, since an incredible amount of hammer force is required to pound large nails into wood.

Our reno actually had very little framing work to do. I just like the fact that you can work wood screws with a screwgun (power drill) so that they can bite into fragile, 50-year-old studs, yet still have it hold strongly, and not damage anything. For renovations that are keeping a lot of the existing framing, wood screws, a screwgun, and lots of steel Simpson ties really help keep your existing framing intact. That's another good tip: Simpson ties. Check 'em out at Home Depot (they tend to be located near the gate hardware for some reason). Those things solve LOTS of problems.

"11. The jigsaw is the most useless power tool ever invented."

I'm sorry that has been your experience. My barrel-grip Bosch gets used all the time. It's one of my favorite tools. I'd say anything made by Black and Decker would constitute being the most useless power tool ever.

asheavenue:

That Bosch barrel grip looks like a good tool. I think I have a Craftsman. What do you cut with it? I mean, how thick is the material you're cutting? I just find that the blade isn't stiff enough for most of my cutting needs. Are the Bosch blades stiffer? I haven't used my jigsaw in over a year. Now, I use my Fein MultiMaster oscillating tool for plunge and flush-cuts, and a Rotozip with a circular wood blade for longer cuts. But the Fein pretty much slays all of my other saws for finish work. Of course, anything I can fit a standard, 7.25" circular saw into, I definitely use that--those things cut anything.

Here's the stuff I usually have to cut:

Plywood.
Laminate (e.g., Formica, Wilsonart)
1" thick plaster walls.
Hardibacker.
Corrugated plastic and sheet metal.
Aluminum sheet metal.

I'm using a lot of metals and hard materials for surfaces in my house. I have a Rigid 14" metal-cutting chop saw, but that's only a chop saw. Fein makes a 9-gauge sheet metal cutter, but it's like $1,600.

I think the trick is in knowing what you can DIY and what is best left to the pros.

In 2003 we did a complete gut that combined the kitchen and dining nook in a 1926 home into one large kitchen. DH and I did all the demo and trash removal, built walls and did the wiring (including recessed lighting in the ceiling). We hired someone to hang and finish the drywall. There was just so much of it (ceilings, too) that we didn't think we could really do it well. That was $$ well spent. We had new heart pine floors installed by the pros, but DH sanded and finished them Cabinets and granite were put in by the pros. We cut and installed trim and painted. We hired a plumber to get the new sink/disposal/dishwasher all hooked up.

In the current kitchen reno, it is much more DIY. We did all the demo and haul-away (we have a utility trailer, so hauled it all to the landfill). But there was less gutting of walls/ceilings done, so less drywall to do, so we DIY'd the drywall. We kept the flooring as-is. No plumbing or gas lines were moved (nice). DH did the wiring for the new lighting and a new outlet. We went with IKEA cabinets this time, so these are 100% DIY from loading the boxes into the van to getting them assembled, levelled and installed. Quartz countertop of course will be done by the pros, and we will have a plumber in to hook up sink, disposal, DW again. Other than that, it was all DIY.

Plumbing is where I think it is a good idea to get the pros in. They have all those little bits and bobs on their trucks and can knock things out so quickly compared to the rest of us.

The power tools used have included:
- 10" chop/mitre saw
- table saw
- jig saw
- compressor-operated brad nailer
- Roto-tool that DH had to have -- I think it got used to cut the hole out of the bottom of the sink cabinet for the plumbing (he always manages to wrangle at least one new gadget out of every project).
- power screwdrivers (these are invaluable when assembling IKEA cabinets -- we have "his" and "hers" models, about $25-$30 at Wal-Mart).

Why yes, yes we would! (Even though we are not quite finished).

Our kitchen is unique and so many aspects of it (now) contain so many memories. My DH did such an amazing job staining moldings and installing the countertop and the flooring and the cabinets (he didn't make the cabinets).

And, we know how to fix/reinstall everything, too. Which is nice. We've been able to do it in phases, as we can afford it, and we're the type whose tastes are changing and eclectic, so (for example) I'm really glad I didn't spring for the Walker/Zanger tile backsplash I originally thought I wanted - we waited and now, having done a lot more tiling in other rooms, we can "see" the alternatives in the kitchen so much better.

We were overly ambitious and have scaled back our plans - but we don't have to consult with anyone, and we got to choose exactly where to economize.

All in all, it's been one of the most fun and productive things we've done.