ArcaMax

Are you thinking of rolling up your sleeves so you can complete a large DIY project? I’m talking about one that may require hundreds, or thousands, of hours of labor. Before you do, I urge you to think about the size of the elephant you’re trying to eat. Yes, you can eat an elephant, but it’s best to do it one bite at a time, and the meal may last a few years if you’re not prepared.

I’ve done what you’re thinking about doing. I can assure you it requires extraordinary amounts of diligence, discipline and determination to complete a long-term DIY project. The rewards are almost hard to measure. You can look at your completed job and feel enormous pride. This only happens if you finish the job, and the last 20% of the work can often consume 80% of the overall time you spend. Your mental exhaustion often precedes your physical limitations.

I feel a few stories of what I’ve done, plus DIY projects I’ve watched from a distance, might be of great help to you. My first big DIY job was bringing back to life a three-bedroom FHA-repossessed house I bought at auction for $8,000.

I was 23 years old. Energy flowed out of my body like sweat on a blistering hot day. It seemed to me that I never got tired. I borrowed enough money to hire several helpers for three months.

I was able to get the house live-in ready in four months. I was working on the job 60 to 70 hours a week. I often worked on it seven days a week. Once my wife and I moved in, there were a few small odds and ends to do, but I got all those done in short order. I sold the house a year later for a handsome profit.

I then bought a five-bedroom house that needed lots of work. It took months of full-time labor to get it move-in ready. After that, I did all sorts of improvements to enhance the exterior. My lovely wife wanted a fish pond, a retaining wall with a privacy fence, and a brick patio set on a concrete base. These projects unfolded over a period of five years.

Each of these outdoor projects took hundreds of hours of work. I did these in the evenings and weekends when I wasn’t out working for paying customers. My first child was still a few years away, so my wife and I were able to work on these things together with no newborn or toddler underfoot.

Your first takeaway should be that a big project is going to consume all of your free time. How much time can you really devote to a DIY project each week for months on end? Will you have a helper or two? If not, how are you going to do things that require a second set of hands?

What about tools? I happened to have many of the tools I needed because I used them in my work for paying customers. You can rent many tools now that I never had. The issue is you need to be very productive when you rent them. If not, you’ll soon pay in rental fees what you could have spent for a new or used tool. Keep in mind that you can now sell a used tool with ease using any number of online websites that host marketplaces. It might make more sense to purchase a tool, care for it, then sell it once you’re done with it.

Be honest about your age, health and stamina. I can assure you that I get just as tired now as I did when I was 22, but I only get done about 25% of what I did all those years ago. How is your balance? Have you lost your nerve working 8, 15 or 30 feet off the ground? I can tell you I used to mimic Spiderman walking up on steep roofs. Those days are long gone. The fear of falling has replaced my youthful bravado.

Think about your learning curve. I was lucky. Each day at work, I was surrounded by subcontractors who had mastered a craft. I was able to glean from them, through sight and conversation, the secret tips and tricks for getting pro results. I doubt you have this luxury.

You do have thousands of free online videos you can watch, as well as ones provided by the manufacturers of many products. Be sure to watch those before you even start a project. This will give you a feeling of what you’re up against.

What will happen if you can’t finish the project? I know of a homeowner who’s been without a working kitchen for over 15 years. My guess is you’re starting the DIY project because you don’t have the money to hire a pro. If so, how will you pay to have a pro step in should you not be able to complete the project?

Keep in mind you can talk to me about what it takes to make your DIY dream come true. I’m just a phone call away.

That said, keep in mind the moniker my kids have given me. Talk to any of them and they’ll say, “Oh, you mean the dream crusher? Yeah, he’ll set you straight.”

Sitting around the kitchen table, I’d ask them very simple questions about things they wanted to do. I’d always help them, but I’d share all the things they hadn’t yet thought of. As adults, they now appreciate it, but back then I had an abundant supply of wet blankets to throw over grandiose ideas.

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©2026 Tim Carter. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.