On television, Drew and Jonathan Scott, HGTV stars of the show Property Brothers, can often be seen encouraging homeowners to swing a sledgehammer and get their hands dirty as their dream kitchen begins to take form. It’s a tactic the brothers encourage for those looking to trim some costs from their budget.
But in real life, there are a few jobs that the Scott brothers say you should absolutely hire a professional for and forgo doing it yourself.
“Electrical, plumbing and structure, you don’t want to cheap out on and you want to use a professional,” Jonathan Scott said, at an event in New York City last week promoting a new study on home renovations from Chase.
“You want to make sure you get the rights permits too,” Drew Scott, added.
The new study from Chase takes a look at the why and how behind home renovation projects.
Jonathan Scott, who usually oversees the home repair portion of the show, explained that if homeowners don’t get permits for work that requires them, it’s considered a latent defect.
“When you sell your home, in the fine print of almost every real estate contract in the country, it says in there, do you have all the permits that are required?” Scott said. “If you don’t disclose in writing that you did not get those permits and say 10 years down the road, 20 years down the road, the house burns down for faulty electrical work, you’re still liable.”
“It’s not worth people working outside of their comfort zone,” Scott added. “There’s a million projects that you can take on.”
The Scott brothers joined Chase on the release of a new homeowners study and found that half of the 1,000 homeowners surveyed say they will do all the work themselves. Only 30 percent plan to hire a contractor and the rest will combine the two.
Of the top reasons that homeowners renovate, the study found the number one reason is to add value to their existing homes, followed by making the home more comfortable and because they just love a DIY project.
Overall, the study found that 80 percent of homeowners expect their home needs work and 60 percent have completed a home renovation in the past six months.
The Scott brothers also shared some safety tips for those looking to undertake a project themselves.
“If they’re too excited to smash stuff, don’t give them a power tool,” Jonathan Scott said.
Scott also said it’s important to always be aware of your surroundings – they once had a homeowner hit his wife in the face with a sledgehammer on an episode of Property Brothers. Thankfully, she was okay, he added.
The final tip is to always wear long sleeves while demolishing anything, because small pieces of tile, for example, can cut you.
