“My husband was building a deck and wanted to use his post hole digger, but the handle of the digger broke off,” explains Mary Nellenbeck on Syracuse.com. “A new digger was $19.99; a new handle cost $3.99. But removing the broken handle proved difficult because of rusted bolts.” That’s when it got difficult, according to the Auburn, NY resident. “While he was trying to hacksaw the rusted bolts off, the hacksaw slipped and inflicted a serious gash between his thumb and first finger. The trip to the emergency room ended with nine stitches. New post hole digger without DIY: $19.99. New posthole digger with DIY: $409.99.”

As someone who has spent more than one afternoon laboring over a do-it-yourself project, I understand that sickening feeling when you suddenly realize you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. I’ve taken on everything from assembling complicated furniture to making my own clothes to performing computer repairs. I’ve also watched my husband, who is a little more mechanically inclined than I am, put brakes on our car and rewire electronic equipment. Together, we make a pretty handy pair—and, although we make it work more often than we don’t, I don’t want to tell you about the time I tried to change my laptop’s screen inverter and ended up making the most expensive paperweight I’d ever seen (Oh, wait—I guess I just did).

The truth is with every DIY project there’s always the chance of something going wrong. So why not you just let the professionals do it?

Why DIY?

Sometimes DIYers tackle projects simply because they want to learn about something new or enjoying tinkering around with something they’ve never done before. For example, I enjoy sewing and I like the idea of making what I wear. That led me to knitting and sparked a number of DIY projects. But money is also a big reason. Doing it yourself can help you save a few bucks and in tough economic times that’s a pretty strong incentive.

Still, I think more than even the economy we have to thank the Internet for the recent surge in DIY projects. Ten or fifteen years ago you had to buy a book to learn something new or find someone who could show you want to do. Now, you can pull up Google and find instructions to make a bomb in less than five minutes. YouTube makes it even easier by letting anyone upload a video of themselves completing some project. From changing your washing machine’s rear tub bearings to threading your own eyebrows, if you can search it, you can find out how to do it.

DIY Gone Wrong

The videos you don’t see are the projects gone wrong. Not every DIY project is a success. In fact, there are a million stories of DIY gone wrong, just like Nellenbeck’s posthole digger story.

Some things are illegal to do yourself unless you happen to be a professional or have the right certifications (so no, you and your friend can’t perform cosmetic surgery on each other to save money). Some projects may require expensive equipment or materials that professionals get discounts on or already have in stock. You may also experience a learning curve for some types of work, such as woodwork or plumbing, and if you’re not experienced in the subject already you may find yourself fighting an uphill battle.

Lisa Curtis, a Virginia Beach resident, found that out the hard way when she got married last year in a beautiful ceremony with a cake that cost her more grief than it was worth. It was her first engagement and the first wedding she’d ever been involved in planning so she didn’t realize how expensive everything actually is. “They don’t tell you that a cake can cost you $600 to $1000 when they’re congratulating you on your engagement. The bakery even charges you to cut the cake at your wedding. I figured that since I’m pretty handy in the kitchen I could make my own cake instead of getting ripped off. Long story short, between the materials, the cost of a new cake and the rush fee, I spent almost $2000 on that cake mistake.”

In fact, DIY projects gone wrong are such a common occurrence that cable channels like HGTV and DIY Network have whole shows dedicated to rescuing DIYers who got in over their heads. Hapless homeowners will call in experts after demoing their bathrooms, kitchens or porches only to realize that what they thought was a quick and easy project was something they should have called the professionals for—as one show’s resident contractor said about a bathroom renovation, “This just isn’t the type of job you’re going to do yourself if you don’t have experience. This is the type of job that you’re gonna call me. The only question is whether you’re going to call me to do the job or call me to fix the mistake.”

Do or Don’t?

So how do you know it’s time to call in the professionals?

Well, the first question to ask yourself is whether this project will cost you more in time and money to do it yourself. Take sewing for instance. I’d love to make my own wardrobe, but after materials, time and allowing for mistakes, I just don’t have the expertise to do it efficiently. It takes less time and money to just go buy what I like.

The next question is will it affect your everyday life if you don’t get it done or you have trouble completing it. It might take you a while to whittle a nativity scene out of soap but it’s not going to keep you from going about your business each day. Not so if you’re renovating your kitchen yourself.

Finally, you should consider the danger factor. Some type of materials and tools beg to be used by the professional, not the amateur. As handy as I am with power tools, if a project requires a chainsaw I’m probably out of my element.

“I ignored the warning signs at every turn,” says Curtis. “I remember I just kept saying ‘It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.’ But it wasn’t ok and I wish that I’d have stopped the moment I realized I was in too deep. But that’s the lure of doing it yourself; and I learned a $2000 lesson I will never repeat again.”

Article written by P.S. Jones for Moxy Magazine, December 2011. Photo credit: flickr.com user Marcin Wichary.