Monday, July 04, 2016

DIY or have it done?

French labor cost is expensive.
When something is broken in the household, we are anxious : how much would it cost to get it repaired?
Washing machine not working : a guy came for 5 minutes, 60€ gone.
Toilet tank running non stop : a plumber we know came for around an hour, 180€ gone.
No wonder French people in general are good in DIY projects. They are a lot of shops selling raw materials and DIY products such as lumbers, tiles, paints, plants...
I have heard some cases : some people try to build a room, a garage, a house, and it could last for 10 years.

There are two people I know building their garage at the same time. Their garages are attached to each other. In the photo, the one on the left have it done by a professional. The one on the right decided to do it themselves, and they just did the foundation. I see the difference day after day. The one on the left was done within two weeks, the one on the right, the owner doesn't know when it will be finished. There were discussions on DIY vs professional, and of course budget is the main consideration, but it is not the only one. Certain people prefer DIY because they could be sure on the materials being used, and they are proud to be able to build something themselves. Whereas for others, they just want to enjoy life and not tied to a project that will drain their free times.

And it makes me wonder, when you buy a house, would you choose one that was built by professionals (it doesn't mean it won't have problems), or built by the owner?


  1. Anonymous10:49 PM

    Ouch, that's expensive! Canadians love home improvement projects, but from what I can see, materials and labour isn't cheap either. I guess people really value their living space. I do too, but I wouldn't have a pool built, a shed built, a patio, etc.

    Many houses and apartments are old in France, the potential for fixing stuff is pretty high. Not including stuff that "ne sont plus aux normes", like power or plumbing.

  2. My husband has inherited his parent house. All the "finitions" were made by his father. If it were done by profesionals, we wouldn't have to renovate the house as much. Also, it was never modern even though the house was built in 1990's. If we want a good price for the sale, we will have to spend a lot to fix it. I'm not in the DIY camp for sure.

    The guy on the right in the picture will never have the same garage as his neighbour, it can devalue his property.