Start small, stay patient when carrying out DIY home renovations, experts say

It could be an old roof that needs replacing, paint chipping off the walls, or maybe a carpet that’s seen better days.

After years of putting off your home renovation, you know it’s time. The only question is whether to turn to a contractor, or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

With tightening budgets and ever-growing daily expenses, DIY home projects are an increasingly attractive option for those wanting to revamp their living quarters without breaking the bank.

But experts caution that it’s important to balance factors around safety, quality and affordability — especially for those who are rookies when it comes to handiwork.

“We often see lots of people interested in DIY. It can be super challenging, but it’s also fulfilling when something’s challenging,” said Colleen Mc Grory, group product manager at HomeStars, a Canadian company that connects homeowners with service professionals.

She said those undertaking a project on their own should consider what she calls the “golden triangle” of cost, time and quality.

While many look to DIY renovations as a way to save money on labour, Mc Grory said it can be easy to overlook costs associated with the necessary tools and materials for a project.

“A lot of people probably don’t own some of these tools. Even for small projects that people commonly think they can take on themselves like painting, for example, you’ve got to go out and buy all the tape and the rollers and the brushes,” she said.

“Those costs can really add up. And then are you ever going to use those things again? What do you do with them?”

The time element may also seem less daunting before a project actually gets underway, she said. But for homeowners lacking renovation experience, a project often takes longer than expected, especially when factoring in time spent watching tutorial videos or making back-and-forth trips to the hardware store.

And after all that effort, an ordinary Joe’s work may not meet the same standard as a professional contractor, Mc Grory added.

“You could do the job and even if you get the job done, is it that great? I don’t know,” she said.

“You might look at it and say, ‘It’s fine,’ or it goes the other way where it’s not successful and you end up having to hire somebody to come and fix the problem anyway.”

A recent HomeStars survey found one-third of respondents were not comfortable conducting basic tasks involved in a home renovation, such as using a drill or doing a small painting project.

The survey, carried out by Opinium, also found 45 per cent of respondents did not feel comfortable using power tools at all. 

Still, half said that they were more likely to do a renovation or an expansion of their own home instead of moving, likely “fuelled by the state of the housing market,” said Mc Grory.

Recent data also suggests the cost of home improvements has been steadily rising in Canada.

Residential renovation costs increased 0.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2025 after a 0.3 per cent increase in the first quarter, according to Statistics Canada.

It said import tariffs introduced by the U.S. and Canada earlier this year, including a 25 per cent tariff by Canada on steel, aluminum, iron, appliances and textiles, contributed to cost increases for projects that relied on those materials.

The agency said all 15 metropolitan regions it measured saw quarterly price increases, led by the Quebec City area at three per cent. 

By province, Saskatchewan recorded the largest year-over-year growth at 4.8 per cent, followed by Alberta at 4.1 per cent and Quebec at 3.5 per cent.

Even for a minor project like a kitchen or bathroom overhaul, there’s a potential to save “tens of thousands of dollars” doing it yourself, said Ryan Meagher, pre-construction manager at BVM Contracting.

But he said those deciding to go that route should be realistic about their expectations for the finished product.

“Obviously that’s a large amount of money. What you lose is the peace of mind knowing that it’s going to be done to a certain standard,” he said.

“If you’re doing that for the first time yourself, you’re likely going to run into problems you might not be able to solve. You might end up with not as quality of a product, potentially.”

Meagher said he recommends carefully planning out the steps of a DIY project, managing costs efficiently and forecasting where potential problems could arise before they happen.

Mistakes are part of the process, and Meagher said even as a professional contractor he sometimes has to redo certain work to get it right — something a first-timer may not be expecting.

“There’s a certain level of rework that potentially has to be done or considered when you’re doing stuff DIY, because you’re not a professional tiler, you’re not a professional flooring person. You’re not doing all this stuff on a daily basis,” he said.

“I think it really just comes down to being a little bit more patient and giving yourself enough time to learn or relearn things so you’re not running into those mistakes.”

For first-time DIY renovators, Meagher said he suggests starting out with small-scale remodeling projects, such as repainting a room or changing the flooring.

“If you have the time and are willing to learn how to do that and have the ability to buy all the right tools, all those cosmetic-based renovation projects are totally within reason for any aspiring DIY enthusiast,” he said. 

But he warned against undertaking a project that involves more structural changes to a home, saying that should be left to professionals. That could include removing a wall to make a main level open-concept, or anything that involves plumping, HVAC or electrical work.

“I would definitely stay away from all those ones to start,” said Meagher.

“If you can’t change a light, you have no business adding a receptacle and running more electrical.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.