I've always lived by the philosophy that you should do things - like home repairs and remodeling - yourself and save the money you would have paid a professional.
Sometimes, however, projects can be beyond your expertise, and it might save time and the cost of fixing a mistake if you get help.
Of course, it doesn't have to be one extreme or another.
If you can do part of the project yourself, you'll still save money.
For several years, we owned a darling home in New Jersey.
It was a charming New England farmhouse, but it was a little outdated.
The kitchen in particular needed some help.
It was a nice big room, but very little outside light could reach it because of the trees blocking the windows.
In order to create more natural light and at the same time update the look, we decided to install a skylight.
My husband enjoys building things and was excited about doing the project himself.
However, because our roof was oddly shaped, we thought it might be best to get some professional assistance rather than damage the ceiling with our misplaced good intentions.
After searching Monmouth County for contractors, we received a recommendation from a friend to go to some Ocean County contractors that specialized in windows and skylights.
They were great because they had all the expertise to deal with the difficult angles but they also let my husband jump in and get his hands dirty.
They installed the base, and he got to do the glass and finishing features himself.
It worked great for us: someone did the hard part, my husband got to do his thing, the total cost was affordable, and the new light made a world of difference.