When to Hire vs. DIY: The Decision Framework

One of your most important decisions as an owner-builder is determining which work you'll do yourself and which you'll hire out. Get this right, and you save money while managing risk. Get it wrong, and you waste time, money, and potentially compromise your build quality or safety.

This guide will help you make smart decisions about every trade using a proven framework based on ROI, risk, skill requirements, and time investment.

The Real Economics of DIY

The myth: Doing work yourself always saves money.

The reality: Your time has value, mistakes cost money, and some work actually costs more to DIY.

Calculate Your Hourly Value

Before deciding to DIY anything, know what your time is worth:

If you're taking time off work:

If you're using vacation time:

If you're retired or between jobs:

Example calculation:

Counter-example:

The Decision Framework

Use these four factors to evaluate every trade:

1. Skill Level Required

Low skill: Basic tools, simple techniques, hard to mess up

Medium skill: Specific techniques, some learning curve, mistakes are fixable

High skill: Specialized knowledge, steep learning curve, mistakes are expensive

Expert skill: Licensed trade, code knowledge critical, safety risks

2. Risk Assessment

What can go wrong?

Safety risk:

Code compliance risk:

Financial risk:

Timeline risk:

3. Tool and Equipment Requirements

Basic tools (you probably own or can buy affordably):

Specialized tools (expensive but rentable):

Professional equipment (too expensive to rent, requires training):

4. Time Investment

How long will it take you vs. a pro?

Rule of thumb: First-time DIYers take 3-5x longer than professionals

Examples:

Time has a cost:

Trade-by-Trade Recommendations

Here's my guidance on every major trade, based on building custom homes and working with several owner-builders:

DEFINITELY Hire Out

These trades have high risk, require specialized licenses, or are genuinely cheaper to hire:

1. Foundation Work

Why hire:

DIY risk: Very high Cost to hire: $25,000-35,000 (2,000 sq ft) Realistic DIY savings: 10-15% (not worth the risk)

My recommendation: Always hire. Foundation is too critical to compromise.

2. Electrical (Rough and Finish)

Why hire:

DIY risk: Very high Cost to hire: $12,000-18,000 Realistic DIY savings: $6,000-9,000

My recommendation: Hire it out. Not worth the safety and code compliance risk.

Exception: Running wire under direct supervision of licensed electrician (they do connections and take responsibility).

3. HVAC Installation

Why hire:

DIY risk: Very high Cost to hire: $12,000-18,000 Realistic DIY savings: $4,000-6,000

My recommendation: Always hire licensed HVAC contractor.

Possible DIY: Duct insulation, register installation (under HVAC contractor's direction).

4. Roofing

Why hire:

DIY risk: High Cost to hire: $8,000-12,000 Realistic DIY savings: $4,000-6,000

My recommendation: Hire it out unless you have roofing experience.

Possible DIY: Tear-off of old roof, cleanup, basic shingling on simple roof.

5. Spray Foam Insulation

Why hire:

DIY risk: Very high Cost to hire: $8,000-12,000 Realistic DIY savings: None (equipment rental costs = labor savings)

My recommendation: Always hire for spray foam.

DIY alternative: Use batt or blown insulation instead (much easier DIY).

Probably Hire Out

These trades are DIYable but most owner-builders are better off hiring:

6. Plumbing (Rough and Finish)

Why hire:

DIY risk: Medium-high Cost to hire: $15,000-22,000 Realistic DIY savings: $8,000-12,000

My recommendation: Hire rough plumbing, consider DIY finish plumbing (fixture installation).

DIY-able if you: Have plumbing experience, study code carefully, get inspector guidance.

7. Drywall Hanging and Finishing

Why hire:

DIY risk: Low (mistakes don't fail inspections) Cost to hire: $12,000-18,000 Realistic DIY savings: $8,000-12,000

My recommendation: Hire the finishing, consider DIY hanging if you have help.

DIY-able if you: Have help for lifting, accept less-than-perfect results, have time.

8. Exterior Siding

Why hire:

DIY risk: Medium Cost to hire: $12,000-20,000 Realistic DIY savings: $6,000-10,000

My recommendation: Hire for complex siding (fiber cement, stucco). Consider DIY for simpler materials (vinyl, board and batten).

DIY-able if you: Patient, detail-oriented, comfortable at heights, have help.

Good DIY Candidates

These trades are commonly DIYed successfully by owner-builders:

9. Framing

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Medium (time and learning curve) Cost to hire: $35,000-50,000 Realistic DIY savings: $25,000-35,000

My recommendation: Good DIY candidate if you have time, some carpentry experience, and help.

Critical: Study code requirements, work slowly and carefully, build to plans.

Time investment: 320-480 hours for 2,000 sq ft house.

10. Insulation (Batt/Blown)

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Low Cost to hire: $6,000-9,000 Realistic DIY savings: $3,000-5,000

My recommendation: Great DIY project for most owner-builders.

Critical: Fill all gaps, maintain proper R-value, install vapor barriers correctly.

Time investment: 40-80 hours.

11. Interior Painting

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Very low (just time and quality) Cost to hire: $8,000-15,000 Realistic DIY savings: $7,000-13,000

My recommendation: Excellent DIY project.

Time investment: 120-200 hours for full interior.

12. Trim and Interior Doors

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Low (just quality and time) Cost to hire: $8,000-15,000 Realistic DIY savings: $5,000-10,000

My recommendation: Good DIY project if you're patient and detail-oriented.

Time investment: 80-160 hours.

13. Tile Work (Basic)

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Medium (quality and time) Cost to hire: $6,000-12,000 Realistic DIY savings: $4,000-8,000

My recommendation: DIY floors, hire for complex wall installations (showers, backsplashes).

Time investment: 60-120 hours.

14. Flooring (Laminate, Vinyl, Engineered)

Why DIY works:

DIY risk: Low-medium Cost to hire: $8,000-15,000 Realistic DIY savings: $5,000-10,000

My recommendation: Great DIY project for patient people.

Exception: Hire for hardwood (difficult) and tile (see above).

Time investment: 60-100 hours.

Definitely DIY

These tasks save money and teach you valuable skills:

15. Demolition and Site Cleanup

Why DIY: Requires no skill, saves money, good workout. Savings: $2,000-5,000 Time: 40-80 hours

16. Painting Prep

Why DIY: Tedious but simple, saves significant money. Savings: $2,000-4,000 Time: 60-100 hours

17. Landscaping (Basic)

Why DIY: Simple, saves big money, improves over time. Savings: $5,000-15,000 Time: 80-200 hours

18. Interior Cleaning

Why DIY: Zero skill required, saves money. Savings: $1,000-2,000 Time: 40-60 hours

The Hybrid Approach

Often the best strategy is hiring for the hard parts and DIYing the easy parts:

Framing

Plumbing

Electrical

Drywall

Painting

This approach:

Making Your Decision

For each trade, ask yourself:

1. Do I have the required skills?

2. Do I have the time?

3. Do I have the tools/equipment?

4. What is the risk?

5. What is the ROI?

Decision matrix:

Common DIY Mistakes

1. Underestimating Time

Reality: First-time tasks take 3-5x longer than you think.

Example: You estimate framing will take 4 weeks. Reality: 10-12 weeks.

Impact: Delayed schedule, cost overruns, frustrated subs waiting on you.

Fix: Double or triple your time estimates, plan conservatively.

2. Overestimating Your Skills

Reality: Watching YouTube doesn't equal experience.

Example: You watch tile installation videos, think it looks easy. Your first tile job has lippage, grout issues, and takes 3x as long.

Impact: Poor quality, frustration, potential rework costs.

Fix: Practice on small projects first, be honest about your skill level.

3. Not Factoring in Learning Curve

Reality: Learning while building is expensive.

Example: Your first 10 interior doors take 8 hours each. By door 20, you're down to 2 hours each. But the first 10 still took 80 hours.

Impact: Your average time is still high, project delayed.

Fix: Account for learning time in your schedule and budget.

4. Ignoring Opportunity Cost

Reality: Time spent on low-ROI tasks costs you money.

Example: You spend 2 weeks (80 hours) on a task that would cost $2,000 to hire out. Your time is worth $50/hour. You "saved" $2,000 but spent $4,000 worth of time.

Impact: False economy, money lost.

Fix: Focus DIY efforts on high-ROI tasks.

5. DIYing Licensed Trades

Reality: Some work legally requires licensed contractors.

Example: You do your own electrical to save money. Inspector requires licensed electrician sign-off. You have to hire electrician to inspect and certify your work (or redo it). Costs more than hiring initially.

Impact: Failed inspections, additional costs, project delays.

Fix: Verify licensing requirements before starting.

The Balanced Approach

Most successful owner-builders follow this pattern:

Hire Out (60-70% of costs):

DIY (30-40% of costs):

Result: Save $45,000-75,000 on a $300,000 build while managing risk and timeline.

Your DIY Decision Worksheet

For each trade, rate 1-5 (5 = best case for DIY):

DIY Decision Worksheet - Rate Each Factor 1-5 (5 = Best for DIY)
TradeSkill LevelTime AvailableTools/EquipmentRisk ToleranceROITotal ScoreDecision
Foundation121127/25HIRE
Framing3443519/25DIY
Roofing2221310/25HIRE
Electrical1331311/25HIRE
Plumbing2332414/25MAYBE
HVAC121127/25HIRE
Insulation5555525/25DIY
Drywall3344418/25DIY/HYBRID
Painting5555525/25DIY
Flooring4444521/25DIY

Scoring guide:

Questions to Ask Yourself

Before committing to DIY any trade:

  1. Have I successfully completed similar work before?
  2. Do I have reliable help for this task?
  3. Can I afford to make mistakes and fix them?
  4. Is my timeline flexible enough for my learning curve?
  5. Have I calculated my true time value?
  6. Do I understand the code requirements?
  7. Am I comfortable with the safety risks?
  8. Will DIY this trade delay other trades?
  9. Do I have realistic expectations for quality?
  10. Am I DIYing for the right reasons? (savings, not ego)

If you answered "no" to more than 3 questions: Seriously consider hiring out.

Next Steps

Once you've decided what to hire out:

  1. Finding Quality Subcontractors → - Learn where and how to find reliable contractors

  2. Vetting and Interviewing → - Know how to evaluate subs before you hire

  3. Getting Quotes → - Request and compare bids intelligently

**For DIY tasks