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erode a capitalistic economy.

that depends on how you look at it. me DIYing erodes a contractors economy. but it builds MY economy. the more i DIY, the more money i have for things i cannot DIY.

The more a person DIY's the more I have to fix latter.:yes::thumbup::thumbup:

But there are some DIYers on here that will make a pro look sick.:)

That is true.

Mostly becasue they don't have the time restraints those of us pros have.:thumbsup:

Naaahhh... It just re-directs a lot of money.

Think of all the medical staff, across the country, that get extra business because of DIYers. Parts/building supplies retailers usually get to sell two or three of the same parts - twice for practice, and the third time when the DIYer gets it right. And think of all the extra beer that gets bought and drunk, as a DIYer finally gets the job done, then has to sit around drinking, looking at, and talking about it for the next 6 months.

I think it's all win/win! :)

Many DIYers are satisfied with something they do that is far less than perfect. I have been on many a carpet job where a DIYer did the ceramic or laminate or vinyl, and I thought, "that will hurt the sale of this place". And in fact have gone back on some to rip out what the DIYer did, to do it right. And if I go to fix a DIY job, my price doubles.

Yep, you're absolutely right.

Over the years of renovating houses, I've run into some of that stuff too - but much of it was done by professionals (I'll use the term loosely, based simply on the fact that somebody got paid for the work they did).

"Pro" or "DIY" is not the issue. It's whether or not a person is able, and cares enough, to do the job right.

I agree, There was an organization formed about 20 years ago to certify flooring installers. They have no legal standing but it has made the founder rich. I have some friends who are very good installers and they belong. But I have seen jobs by others they certified and those guys could only be called butchers. I am certified by Armstrong but had to go to school for that.
The thing is, just because someone knows how to do a job right, is no guarantee they will.

There is a time and place where DIY is appropriate. I have used a balance of the two in my home and vehicles. Sometimes it is just not safe. A local guy lost his eye when a garage door spring hit hime recently. Also sometimes the pro can get materials or parts cheaper and the cost of hiriing it out offsets the cost of labor. That's why I stopped changing my own oil. The last time I thought about, it was going to cost as much or more to buy the oil and filter at full retail that to have it done so what's the point? On the other hand I saved a lot of money replacing my own brakes. My bathroom wall tiles did not come out as nice as if a pro did it but they were done properly and are functional and for a lot cheaper than the cost of hiring it out. Some people think they can DIY anything but most are only fooling themselves. For me, it's just a matter of knowing your limitations.

Yep.

The organization of which you speak sounds a lot like The Better Business Bureau. Pay your dues, and you have a favorable rating. In other words, pretty much a completely worthless organization. :)

This flooring organization sent me a video several years ago. They told me that if I watched it and sent them $50 they would certify me as a pro flooring installer. Thing is, I worked for the founder years ago and the guy was a terrible installer.

So did you send your $50 and join? :laughing:

893,377 diy posts currently

( all of the following is VERY subjective as numbers go, but not impossible)

Deduct BS posts, then say average out possible earnings for a service contractors at say $100.00 per customer(a diy poster asking for help)
Some customers would only pay the $100.00 service charge and a easy fix, some customers may end up spending $100-$5000.00 with the service contractor. ...

So, just for giggles, lets say every DIY'er asking for help on the internet uses a local service contractor, Elec/pumbing/hvac/ on and on with the trade/crafts labels...

The customer(now with no diy internet help) pays the service contractor just $100.00 for showing up and fixing the small problem. (this is not even considering the possible $100 + to $5,000 jobs)

Thirty years ago I made my living doing electrical service calls, a LOT of big jobs not diy rated, but a whole lot of simplistic jobs like changing a broken single pole toggle switch in someones bedroom that had the overhead light flickering....

I got paid my service call and 10 % mark up on the switch and the customer was happy as they had their electrical problem repaired by a qualified electrician. No sleepless nights for the diy HO wondering if they had the wires wrong and was the house going to catch on fire...

So, 893,377 diy'er posts x $100.00 = $89,337,700.00 taken away from those making a living in the service contracting business = erosion of a capitalistic economy for self employed service contractors. jmo

I hear a lock opening and a ban coming.......... :yes:

^ The ban will never happen. In fact, it would be legally impossible.