I did construction in my early years, but I would still think twice about doing anything myself. Then again, I have seen the work of "professionals", and holy jebus, it looked like they took the short bus to work.
My dad's house, which was 're'-built before he bought it, was the most amazing showcase of mentally handi-incapable contractors and carpenters evar! Prelude - We had owned the house several years before, it was literally a shanty. Prerequisite to demolishing the old house and building a new one, it needs to be built on one cornerstone of the old structure. No problem, they atleast got that right.
He first moves in, I am at the time 18 so I am naturally with him starting college, and I like the location and don't give the house a thorough look down. A week later, I realise some glaring problems. Floor trim does not match up properly in many areas, tiling that has been cut around the fireplace (I'll explain if anyone wants to know what type of fireplace I mean) does not meet the walls. There are two areas of the drywall that are bent at the ends to attach to the studs...? The bathroom attached to my bedroom has towel racks. They have been placed there by someone with a severe list. The first one was placed relatively level, the second rack was, well, he had put away a few to say the least. A few years later, my dad learns the shower was made of 2x4s with tile and grout covering it. Needless to say, he had to have a local remodelor/contractor come in and redo it (this guy is amazing!). Prior to the bathroom incident the nails in the ceiling holding the drywall into the ceiling began popping out. Not just the boob type of bulges, but literally popping out and falling to the floor. The plumbing was also improperly done in certain areas causing rot, and five electrical outlets had been miswired.
So basically what I'm getting at is, don't trust anyone. If you can't do it yourself, find someone that can, but be SURE the person has a good reputation.
-SW
