It could be an old roof that needs replacing, peeling paint on the walls, or carpet that has seen better days. After years of putting off renovating your home, you know it's time.
It could be an old roof that needs replacing, peeling paint on the walls, or carpet that has seen better days.
After years of putting off renovating your home, you know it's time. The only question is whether to contact a contractor or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.
With ever-tightening budgets and ever-increasing daily expenses, home improvement projects are becoming an increasingly attractive option for those looking to transform their living spaces without breaking the bank.
However, experts point out that it is important to balance the factors of safety, quality and affordability – especially for beginners when it comes to craft work.
“We often see a lot of people interested in home improvement. It can be very challenging, but it's also fulfilling when something is 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 see DIY renovations as a way to save on labor costs, Mc Grory says it can be easy to overlook the 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 usually think they can do themselves, like painting, you have to go out and buy all the tape, rollers and brushes,” she said.
“These costs can really add up. And then are you ever going to use these things again? What do you do with them?”
The time factor can also seem less daunting before a project actually gets underway, she said. But for homeowners who don't have renovation experience, a project often takes longer than expected, especially when you consider the time spent watching how-to videos or driving back and forth to the hardware store.
And after all that effort, an ordinary Joe's work may not be up to the same standards as that of a professional contractor, Mc Grory added.
“You could do the job and even if you do the job, is that great? I don't know,” she said.
“You could look at it and say, 'It's fine,' or it could go the other way, where it's not successful and you still end up having to hire someone to come and fix the problem.”
A recent survey by HomeStars found that a third of respondents did not feel comfortable performing basic tasks associated with a home renovation, such as using a drill or completing a small painting project.
The survey conducted by Opinium also found that 45 percent of respondents did not feel comfortable using power tools at all.
Still, half said they would renovate or expand their home rather than move, which was likely “driven by the state of the housing market,” Mc Grory said.
Recent data also suggests that home improvement costs in Canada have been steadily increasing.
According to Statistics Canada, residential renovation costs rose 0.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2025, after rising 0.3 per cent in the first quarter.
It said import tariffs imposed by the United States and Canada earlier this year, including a 25 percent tariff by Canada on steel, aluminum, iron, appliances and textiles, contributed to cost increases on projects that rely on those materials.
The agency said all 15 metropolitan areas it measured saw quarterly price increases, led by the Quebec City region at three percent.
By province, Saskatchewan had 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 on a smaller project like a kitchen or bathroom renovation, there's the potential to save “tens of thousands of dollars” by doing it yourself, said Ryan Meagher, pre-construction manager at BVM Contracting.
However, he said those who choose this route should have realistic expectations of the final product.
“Obviously that's a lot of money. What you lose is the assurance that it will be done to a certain standard,” he said.
“If you're doing this yourself for the first time, you're likely to encounter problems that you may not be able to solve. In the end, the quality of a product might not be quite as good.”
Meagher recommends carefully planning the steps of a DIY project, managing costs efficiently and anticipating where potential problems might arise before they arise.
Mistakes are part of the process, and Meagher said even as a professional contractor, he sometimes has to redo certain jobs to get them right – something a beginner might not expect.
“There's a certain amount of rework that may need to be done or considered when you're doing DIY things because you're not a professional tiler, you're not a professional floor installer. You don't do all of those things on a daily basis,” he said.
“I think it really comes down to being a little more patient and giving yourself enough time to learn or relearn things so you don't fall into those mistakes.”
Meagher suggests starting with small-scale renovation projects, such as repainting a room or replacing the flooring.
“If you have the time and desire to learn and the ability to purchase the right tools, all of these cosmetic renovation projects are completely within the reach of any aspiring DIYer,” he said.
However, he cautioned against embarking on a project that involves major structural changes to a home, saying it should be left to professionals. This could include removing a wall to create an open main floor, or anything that requires plumbing, heating, ventilation or electrical work.
“I would definitely stay away from all of those,” Meagher said.
“If you can’t replace a light, you have no business adding an outlet and running more power.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9. 2025.
Sammy Hudes, The Canadian Press