newmouse At my skill level, I don't think I could come up with a list of 10 home fixes that don't require a pro :)

Kenny Grono Regarding lead paint: While a lead paint abatement contractor is not necessary, everyone should be aware that under the EPA's "Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP)" program, all contractors that work in a home built before 1978 should be certified for compliance with the RRP program. This means more than just stripping paint. Anytime a contractor disturbs more than 1 sq. ft. a surface in the home that may have lead in it through demolition, cutting, drilling, stripping, etc - they must follow RRP guidelines or risk hefty fines. A homeowner is not bound by the same law, but for the safety of your family you should read up on the RRP guidelines if you're doing work around the house and it was built before 1978.

Lisa Frederick Thanks so much for clarifying, Kenny - that is terrific info. Do you think lead paint removal is within a homeowner's reach as long as they follow those guidelines? Newmouse, I'm with you - I am definitely a "don't-it-yourselfer."

Denise Vilim I am a diy kinda gal and I agree most, if not all of the above jobs should defnitely be left to the pros. I can also attest, lead issues aside, to any other diyers thinking of attempting it, stripping paint, stain, varnish, etc, is not only an extremely messy, messy job, stripper can irritate and chemically burn your skin. Stripper is definitely not a chemical you want to work with in shorts, sandals and without chemical gloves.

Kenny Grono If you have children in the house or the job is outside where improper containment or access to the proper tools could endanger your neighbors or future owners at your house (lead paint chips in the soil) you should limit the DIY projects you do that disturb lead paint. If you do not have children in the home, the main danger is to the person performing the work, so if that's you, read up on the EPA guidelines and make sure you're prepared. Having done a lot of this type of work I had my blood tested for lead levels (a bit elevated but nothing to worry about). Test swabs to test for the presence of lead paint are available at paint stores and hardware stores, but in my opinion it's best to assume the presence of lead everywhere in an old house.

barnlover Whether you are scraping or sanding anything with paint, just assume it could be lead paint so mist/spray with water and contain your mess with plastic sheeting. Or you came remove paint with a non-toxic and non-caustic paint removers there are available. As long as you don't eat, drink or smoke during paint removal, then wash up so there will be little or no contamination.

bloggo I've done every thing they say not to do in this article except for foundation work and removal of load bearing walls. This stuff is not rocket science, and in many cases, you can do a better job than the contractor does because you care more about how it comes out than they do, ie. you won't be taking shortcuts that will burn you 3 years down the road. For example, when I had a contractor extend a gas line to an outdoor grill, I noticed afterwards that he used black pipe in certain sections that were exposed to the elements. After only 6 months there was significant rusting. And this article claims that this is not a job for the homeowner? What part of turning the gas off, screwing some pipe together and testing for leaks is too dificult for a homeowner? It's a gas grill, not a high output appliance like an on-demand water heater.

bpbqueen The funny thing is, as a child, my father and mother taught us to do most of this stuff as we were poor. This was the 70s/80s so there wasn't much worry about building codes or such. We never thought we couldn't do it so we never had a fear it couldn't be done properly. We head out to the local library, get a book on the subject and away we go. We put an addition on the house that the only thing that we didn't do was pour the slab foundation. Everything else my mother, father, sister and I did ourselves - wiring, gas lines, framing, sheetrock, taping, painting, etc. We even ran a new gas line to a heater for one of the back bedrooms.

lotusbrian Necessity is the mother of invention. If your funds are limited, sometime you have to do it yourself. It really depends where the project is in your house. If it is a complex kithcen project, that will take months, workinng on it by yourself may not be a real option. I took on a massive foundation repair for a detached garage. The project took forever, but then it could, as the space being disrupted was just storage space really. The most disasterous part of this project was not jacking up the building to change the foundation, it was fighting a huge war with the building department. Check out the pictures. One is from inside the garage, as I am taking out the old foundation. The other is from outside, looking at the new foudation.

Out of all of the jobs I've triedd, the one that surprised me the most was changeing an exterior glass sliding door into a set of french doors (of different dimensions). The doors I installed were not pre-hung, and were antique doors. This project left me feeling like an amatuer. Meanwhile installig gas lines and a gas furnace was a relatively easy project (though I was extremely cautious in tripple checking everything before I actually lit the new furnace. The gas company (unknowingly) checking my new lines for leaks with a gas detector as well.