Avoid DIY Failures

AVOID DIY FAILURES Botched home improvement projects make for online laughs but unhappy households. Here's what to avoid. PASS ON THE BIG (AND DANGEROUS) JOBS There's a reason even home improvement specialists consult experts instead of taking on Think twice before doing any of these projects yourself: me jobs themselves. Floor Plumblng Electrical Roofing Large Jobs requlring a refinishing work permlt Unpermitted renovations may make your home Harder than it Mistakes can Even more looks and tough Dangerous become floods dangerous to fix mistakes harder to sell A DIY kitchen remodel went terribly wrong when an improperly installed dishwasher ruined the brand-new flooring. Worse yet, another DIY effort to create a basement man cave resulted in the demolition of a load-bearing wall, a sagging house and a $100,000 repair bill KNOW YOUR TOOLS (AND HOW TO USE THEM) Trying out a nail gun for the first time may sound like fun, but not on your own home. A good rule of thumb is if you don't have (or aren't comfortable with) most of the tools and supplies you'll need for a project, think twice. Nearly 15,000 ER visits were attributed to nail gun injuries in one year alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.? Even the pros need to be careful: According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2 in 5 residential 15,000 carpenter apprentices experienced a nail gun injury over a four-year period. 3 ER visits MEASURE (MORE THAN) TWICE AND CUT ONCE It's not just an old saying. Many home improvement disasters involve someone not realizing they've gotten the measurements wrong until it's too late. Be careful and err on the larger side: You can always make something smaller but you can't always make it bigger. DON'T SKIMP ON PREPARATION Prep work is what makes the pros stand out. For example, painting isn't hard, but it's the sanding, patching and priming that make the difference between a beautiful remodel and a botched job. Sometimes even prep work isn't enough. One homeowner prided himself on the careful job he did palnting his French doors-until the dryer vented lint all over the wet paint. The result? Fuzzy French doors, 5 DON'T CUT CORNERS WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY Don't skip the safety goggles, gloves, masks or hard hats to save a few bucks. Also, make sure you ventilate work areas, be careful on ladders and use common sense. If something seems dangerous or beyond your abilities, it probably is. For trained professionals, the majority of home construction Injuries occur at the beginning of the workweek, on Monday mornings, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That translates to Saturday before noon for DIYers since it's the start of your weekend and most likely the kickoff of your project. Be sure to take it slow and do some prep work a night or two ahead of time. 6 READY FOR YOUR HOME IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ? Check out the great rates for home equity lines of credit (HELOC) from Nationwide Bank to help finance your next home improvement project. Sources 1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2015/03/13/kelly-edwards-1/#156a771372b8 2 https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/nailgun.pdf 3 https://www.osha.gov/Publications/NailgunFinal_508_02_optimized.pdf 4 http://focusmortgagesolutions.com/blogs/post/ridiculous-home-renovation-fails 5 http://www.familyhandyman.com/great-goofs/hilarious-painting-fails#5 6 http://homerenovations.about.com/od/planningtorenovate/tp/7-Strange-Facts-About-Home-Remodeling-Injuries-and-Deaths.htm Nationwide FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER HELOCS offered by Nationwide Bank, Member FDIC, a federally chartered savings bank and an affiliate of Nationwide. Nationwide Bank NMLS #769318. Visit the NMLS Consumer Access website here: www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org. HELOCS currently not offered in Texas. Loans, lines of credit and credit cards are not insured by the FDIC. Nationwide Bank is an Equal Housing Lender. Programs (including, without limit, fees, rates and features) are subject to change without notice. Nationwide, the Nationwide Nand Eagle, Nationwide is on your side, and Nationwide Bank are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2017 Nationwide BKW-11OIAO.1