by Mouse

Created on: May 16, 2010

Just to quantify, while I am entirely in favour of everyone designing their own interiors (after all YOU are the one who has to live in it and you know best a) what you want & b) what you can live with), I do want to point out that I am entirely against people taking risks with the Health and Safety of themselves and their families. Now I acknowledge that might mean that at some point in the process, you may need to take expert advice, or indeed turn a part of the work over to a professional. However, safety must ultimately be the primary consideration.

So, just what are the plus points to a "Do It Yourself" approach? Here are ten of them:

* You are likely to save money.

Not only on the expense of labour a professional costs, but also by sourcing your materials without the mark-up a contractor has to charge to cover their overheads.

* You are on your own schedule.

You don't have to spend weeks with your entire home in utter chaos, either while contractors are working, or more annoyingly, during the 'in between' times, when contractors may not be in attendance.

* You can see the picture in your head.

No matter how good a communicator you are, no-one else is going to get the picture of your completed room in your head quite right.

* You know how the space works.

YOU live in it. You know exactly what your needs and expectations of a space are. You know what problems need to be addressed and what you want to get from the completed space.

* You can adjust the time-scale to fit your budget.

Thereby preventing financial problems arising from too much expenditure in one go.

* You can take advantage of reduced price and discontinuation offers.

Okay, so sometimes this will mean you may have to put in a bit of extra effort, or accept tiny flaws, but the savings are financially rewarding and your overall finished room will be more personalised.

* You can have a lot of fun and build some fantastic memories while you are completing your project.

These will stay with you long after you are completed and will enhance the space even more whenever you are in it.

* You have complete control over every aspect of the project.

Like the old adage says: "If you want something doing, do it yourself" - well okay, maybe that doesn't apply for certain expert areas (such as electrical) where you may need help, but the more areas of your redecoration you control, the less likely you are to be dissatisfied with the overall result. You also get the satisfaction of seeing all the little bits of the project coming together. 

* By creating a space that is tailored to the needs of the people (and animals) that occupy it, you save on stress later when trying to maintain it (choosing wipe down surfaces in children's spaces for example).

* You ultimately get a finished space that reflects and celebrates the uniqueness of the family that occupies it.

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