I learned the hard way with plumbing too—thought I'd save a few bucks replacing a vanity sink myself, ended up cracking a pipe behind the wall. Didn't notice until the paint started bubbling weeks later. Had to rip open drywall, replace insulation, and repaint... definitely cost me more than hiring a pro from the start. Did insurance cover any of your damage, or was it all out-of-pocket?
Insurance didn't cover mine, unfortunately—since it was clearly my own fault. Had a similar mishap trying to swap out a tub faucet... thought it was straightforward, but ended up twisting the copper pipe behind the wall. Didn't even notice until I turned the water back on and heard that dreaded hissing sound. Had to shut off water to the whole house for a day, rip open tile, redo plumbing, then patch everything back up. Probably spent double what hiring a plumber upfront would've cost me.
Lesson learned: plumbing is definitely one of those "know your limits" DIY projects for me. Electrical too, honestly—I've learned to leave those two to the pros. Drywall and painting though... I'll tackle that all day long.
- Happens more often than you'd think—plumbing's tricky like that. Seen a lot of DIY attempts spiral into bigger headaches.
- Good call on knowing your limits though. I've fixed plenty of homeowner "oops" moments; trust me, you're definitely not alone.
- Drywall and painting are usually safe bets to DIY, but yeah, plumbing and electrical can get expensive real quick if things go sideways...
"Drywall and painting are usually safe bets to DIY, but yeah, plumbing and electrical can get expensive real quick if things go sideways..."
Yeah, learned that the hard way myself. Thought swapping out a faucet would be straightforward—ended up with a mini flood and an emergency plumber call. Definitely agree on drywall and painting being safer DIY territory, though. Saved a decent chunk doing those myself.
Curious, did anyone here find hidden issues during their remodel that bumped up the cost unexpectedly? I'm budgeting for mine now and trying to anticipate surprises...
Yeah, hidden issues are pretty much guaranteed, especially if you're dealing with an older home. When we redid our bathroom (house built in 1928), we thought it'd be straightforward—just cosmetic updates mostly. But once we opened up the walls, we found ancient galvanized pipes that were corroded and leaking slowly behind the plaster. Had to replace all the plumbing lines, which added a good chunk to our budget.
Also discovered some questionable wiring behind the vanity light fixture—previous owner had done some DIY electrical work that was definitely not up to code. Ended up hiring an electrician to sort that out properly.
"Thought swapping out a faucet would be straightforward—ended up with a mini flood and an emergency plumber call."
Haha, been there too. Seems like every small plumbing job has the potential to escalate quickly...
Anyway, I'd suggest setting aside at least an extra 15-20% of your budget as a contingency for surprises. Better safe than sorry, especially with older homes.
