Spring is certainly the season to renovate and shows like The Block are inspiring many of us to change things up in our own homes. Even though there are lots of DIYs you can easily do yourself, there are certain things you should leave to the professionals to avoid a reno disaster.
We spoke to real life tradies Mark Menegatti and Adrian Franchina from Bostik, who helped glue together The Gatwick on the latest season of The Block. They gave us some advice regarding DIY tasks you should leave to the pros.
Electrical work should always be carried out by a licensed electrician and upon the job being complete, they should provide you with a certificate of electrical safety and compliance.
Certain types of plumbing work, like the connection of gas appliances and hot water services as well as installing toilets, split system air conditioners and moving taps or drains, should be done by a licensed plumber, who should issue a certificate of compliance once the job is complete.
Another job that requires a certificate of compliance is waterproofing. If not completed correctly, issues that may arise from inexperienced waterproofing, may result in an unsealed permeable membrane application, with a potential repercussion of leaking/seepage into the below structures. This can cause rot and damage, which over time can progress to big structural issues that are expensive to fix.
As we know, asbestos is a highly dangerous material and removal should only be carried out by licensed asbestos removers under the strict rules and standards prescribed by that industry.
Last but not least is roofing. Adrian is an experienced roofer and has seen some daunting cases of people trying to attempt this themselves. Even if it’s only a repair to the roof, the roofer should hold a minimum of a DBL-K license.
By leaving the above to the professionals, you can make sure your renovation experience won’t be a daunting one and instead focus on things such as installing timber flooring, painting and grouting.