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There are finally some reality in some of the home improvement reality shows.
For years now designers walk into a home and start tearing down walls and removing ceilings as if it was nothing. Most of these homes were designed with those walls and ceiling for a reason. #1 is to support the walls and roof to keep the house safe from the elements and the laws of gravity. Ever play Jenga or build a house of cards? The keywords for safety are support and foundation.
There are reasons that professionals specialize. Very few people are good at everything. And those that are, usually have many, many years of experience doing all sorts of work. There used to be a phrase, jack of all trades, master of none that could describe such a person. But watching hours of HGTV does not make you a Jack. But they certainly make it look easy.
Plumbing is not just plug and play. Most times you can not just pull out an old sink and put a new one in by yourself. You can watch all the Youtube videos and even get an old Time and Life Plumbing book from the library or eBay and still not really know how to do plumbing. The smallest drips can cause huge expensive repairs later. There go your DIY savings.
One caveat to get on all of these shows is you must be willing to humble yourself enough to ask for help. And to admit your shortcomings be it you didn't vet the person you hired, or that you thought too much of your own skills or that life got out of hand. Also, your home has to be fixable. And good for TV.
Mike Holmes has made a name for himself coming in after bad "professionals" have done shotty work or over-promised and under-delivered. Or in just plain words ripped off the homeowner. He swoops in and fixes it at no cost to the homeowner. He does an inspection and explains how it went wrong and then spends time and lots of money to fix it. He's a savior for those he helps but not as helpful for the rest of us who don't have the money to do it right after paying for the wrong person.
Nate and Jeremiah are on the highest end of design in the fixing shows. They use money from the homeowners and then secure donations to finish their design. The homeowners usually have a big sob story on why they are deserving the help.
Jasmine Roth has a great show called "Help! I wreaked my house." She uses the homeowner's money to fix their disaster. Obviously, they are getting more for their buck than we would since they are getting such skilled labor and professional designer to make the fix. There are real, helpful ideas and things to do in this show that a homeowner could actually do.
Nothing replaces hiring a professional. Make sure to vet them properly. See their prior work. Read the testimonials. Ask to speak to a recent homeowner.
Call Pavolony at 973-663-0558
Review our website to see photos from your type of job. Read our testimonials and reviews. and stay away from being the next fit-it show.