When do you decide to DIY or pay someone else? I am going to be doing some renovations at our house soon, and I keep flip flopping on what I want to do. Starting with the master bath remodel. I know how to do all of the required work, but my actual job would mean I only have about 1.5 days per week to work on the bathroom. Last time I had a contractor price out a bath remodel I almost fainted. Ha! Decisions decisions. What is the deciding factor for most of you guys and gals?

You get get things cheap, fast, or quality, but only two of the three.

When I do it myself, I save money, and it's top tier quality, but it happens slower, because I rarely enlist help. If it's a job I need done faster than I can do, I hire it out. If it's a job I don't have the skills, don't want to learn the skills (tape, bed, texture) or don't want to buy the tools, I hire it out.

Most of the time, I'm not in a hurry, and want to save the money, so I do it myself. In 2008 I added a master suite onto my existing house. I drilled the piers, formed and poured the beams, framed, and did it all, all the way to the shingles. I handled every trade myself, except tape, bed, texture, carpet, and masonry. It took 6 months, I've got $40/ sq ft in it, and it's valued at $90/ sq ft.

You just have to decide, if you need to save time more than money, or do you need to save money more than time.

This right here fits just about anything in life, IMO. I've never done a remodel on a house but try to do as much DIY as I can on other things, simply due to cost and quality. If I need something done faster than what I have time for or if I don't want to learn the trade, I hire it out.

I'm hiring more thing don as I get older.

I hire most things out these days. I'm just the helper.

Quite common.

Older guys tend to have more money, and less "want to".

It's not want as much as it is able.

Master bath is a room I would want completed asap. Would cost more but would enable you to move on to other jobs.

I had mine painted for eight hundred dollars.

Yes, yes.

Please forgive my failure to also list that.

I can't do ladders anymore. That's usually a problem. We have a good handyman.

Time, money, commitment.

It is a balance. I like be a DYIer. But sometimes I no longer have the desire or ability to commit the time to a project.

If you can commit 1.5 days of actual work, you can get it done. If this includes buying material and hauling trash and all the support work. No way.

And, you know there will be birthdays, dinners and family events which will take priority. So don't forget to allow time for those.

Older guys don't have MORE money just tired bones. After working 5-6 days a week 10 hrs. a day. I don't feel like doing DIY, I'm 68. Wish I could retire.

For me it depends on if I have all the tools to complete the job. I don't mean small tools but larger tools that are necessary for completing the project.

depends on if someone is truly able to do decent work.
my mother has had some stuff done that was less than
quality work IMO. she had an awning done some time back
that was framed up by someone who thought he knew what
he was doing, but obviously didn't. she had some work done
on the outside of her house that was poor IMO. i've seen
deer blinds with better quality work by folks that never
even built any kind of structure. on the other hand i've
tried to help folks with different projects, but most of
them seemed as if they had to down a beer for every dozen
or so nails or screws put in.

I don't have the handyman skills for most things. Looking to have a master bath redone. Last quote was 16k and that's with it demo'd already. I thought that was outrageous. I definitely don't have 16k or the knowledge to re-do a bathroom so not sure what I'm going to do.
Waiting on another quote now.

I like to DIY stuff. We decided last fall to take carpet out of our bedrooms and replace with laminate flooring. That turned into painting ceilings and walls and new baseboards.

I got the two guest rooms done in about a week. Had a real slow week and was able to work pretty steady on it. I then got crazy busy with work and after a couple months of not being able to get the master done, I hired it done and it was done in a day. Cost me a grand though.

I don't mind DIY'ing. It will usually same some money. I was blessed with a good mind, strong will and talented hands so I put them to use. Currently building a 4000 sqft barndominium. My wife and I have cut and install 1000's of pounds of steel. I am now framing the rooms.

I'm a DIY'er

I service my own vehicles, 2 days ago I put a new roof vent on my house, I rebuilt the instrument cluster in my last car, service our boat motor, got a 50 year old bulldozer that sat for 2+ years in running shape and helped wire my garage, plumbed my garage. Pretty much if I can I will try to do it myself.

I still need to replace a door on my washroom... its been a while and I still need to do it. For me I notice if its something I can put off I will, if its something I have to do I will get it done. Hardest part for me is I'm mister mom and its hard to really get anything substantially done while watching a 2 year old!

I agree it is the fine balance between money time and commitment. I can do most of the stuff at home but I do not have the time. The cost determines whether I make the time or not.

I work quite a bit. I like to spend my free time with my family, not doing honey-do's. If I can get it done in 8 hours or less, I'll do it. Otherwise I get out the checkbook.

I do construction for a living so the last thing I want to do is come home and do it... I hire it out.