In times of DIY-blogs, wikiHow and YouTube, you may feel confident enough to roll up your sleeves and tackle your own home repairs and improvements. With all the do-it-yourself shows on TV, it often seems foolish paying a professional for something that can be easily done on your own. And while those projects give you a great sense of accomplishment, you should leave certain home repairs and renovation jobs to a professional.

Here are 3 projects you should steer clear of:

1. Electrical Work

Working with electricity should be always approached with caution. You might be able to tackle minor repairs such as replacing a ceiling fan or installing a dimmer switch, just make sure that the electricity to the circuit you are working on is turned off. As soon as it comes to extending circuits or adding new ones though, it’s best to call an electrician. Messing around with electrical circuits and running new cables could lead to you getting an electrical shock or your house getting on fire. Electrical work is also governed by strict codes, so if your house is not up to code, you will have issues once you plan to sell it.

2. Plumbing Work

While you may be able to pull of certain plumbing jobs such as changing a showerhead or replacing faucets, as soon as you want to modify your plumbing system – like expanding a home’s water supply line -, you are better off  having a professional plumber taking care of that. The smallest leak can lead to an enormous amount of damage if it is not caught in time.

3. Roofing Work

Even though installing roof shingles may look easy to you, don’t be fooled. Not only does repairing a roof require skill and experience, climbing up and down ladders while carrying tools and supplies is also dangerous and more exhausting than you think. A small misstep is all it takes to send you over the edge.

As a DIY enthusiast you like to handle your own renovation projects and repairs. But sometimes you have to choose your battles and be smart about handing off anything that will likely be dangerous to a professional.

By: Patricia Madigan