If you’re a homeowner who likes working outside, consider
doing these home-improvement projects yourself. You’ll save at
least 50% of what hiring a professional would cost.* These projects
require more grunt work than talent and only a small investment in
materials and tools. Each of them will improve the value of your
property.
Power washing: To keep your house looking
its best, consider an annual cleanup with a power washer. You can
hire a building cleaning service for $377 to power wash a typical
1,200-square-foot house. Or you can rent a gas-powered washer rated
at least at 1,200 psi (which means that it delivers 1,200 pounds
per square inch of water) with detergent for $160 and pocket a nice
58% savings. Figure that you’ll spend a solid two days on the
job.
Savings: $217.
Gutter cleaning: An important seasonal
maintenance chore for every home owner is cleaning and repairing
gutters. A handyman will charge $102 to clean and make minor
repairs to 200 linear feet of gutters on a one-story house. If you
have a sturdy ladder, garden hose, bucket and rubber gloves, you
can do the job in two hours for $40 (the cost of some caulk and
roofing cement) and save 61%.
Warning: If you have a very high
home or uneven terrain, it may be safer to hire a pro.
Savings: $62.
Painting the garage: You’ll pay a painting
contractor $307 to spray paint the exterior of a typical one story,
two-car garage. You can do the job in a weekend for $100, for the
cost of the paint and renting an airless sprayer for a day. That’s
a 67% savings. Figure that you’ll spend the better part of the
first day prepping the area before you paint.
Savings: $207.
Pruning: A landscape service will prune
and groom a small tree and some bushes for $80, but for an
investment of $36 (for pruning shears and a lopper), you can do it
and save 55% in three hours. You’ll save the full $80 the next time
you prune.
Initial savings: $44.
Mulching: You can pay a yard service $324
to lay a four-inch-deep spread of organic mulch in a 300-foot area
or buy mulch (30 to 35 bags) yourself for $75. In a day, you can
complete the job and save 77%. If you have a vehicle that can haul
it, you won’t have to pay extra to have the mulch delivered.
Savings: $249.
Lawn seeding: You can seed a lawn and
create a luscious green landscape, but whether or not to do it
yourself depends on the condition of your soil. Assuming it is
level and free of grass, weeds and rocks, a landscaper will charge
$201 to prepare the soil and seed 2,000 square feet. You can buy
seed for $50, do it yourself and save 75%. But if rocks, weeds and
grass need to be removed, leave it to the pros. In most areas, the
best time to seed is late August or early September.
Savings: $151.
Laying a gravel path: Consider laying a
gravel path as a walkway or winding path through your garden. The
work involves digging and hauling material, but you’ll save 57% by
doing it yourself. For a three-foot-wide, 100-foot-long gravel
path, a landscape contractor will charge $349 including gravel.
It’ll cost you a long day’s work and $150 for the material.
Savings: $199.
Building a patio: This is strenuous labor
and time-consuming -- it takes about a week to do -- but every time
you use your new patio, you’ll appreciate your sweat equity. A
contractor will charge $2,275 to build a 15-foot-by-20-foot brick
patio. You can do it for about half that ($1,100 for the
material).
Savings: $1,175.
Building a split-rail fence: A split-rail
fence is one of the most attractive ways to enhance your yard and
define your property. The most difficult thing is digging the post
holes. You can rent a post hole digger for about $80/day, buy a
manual digger for $30 to $100 or use a shovel. A fence contractor
will charge $1,091 to build a 100-foot-long rail fence. You can do
it for $500 (the cost of the material) and save 54%. But fence
building is not for the faint of heart -- it’s a good three-day
project and hard work.
Savings: $591.
*In this article, the costs to hire a professional are based on
several of the estimating publications that contractors use to bid
on their jobs. The material costs are based on information from
major national retailers and manufacturers.