You make a Saturday morning trip to Home Depot to pick up a couple of light bulbs and a can of paint to touch up those scratches on the front door.  Thanks to a smooth talking sales assistant you leave with ten packs of vinyl floor tiles, something called a framing square, some glue, a nail gun and big ideas about laying a new kitchen floor by Sunday afternoon.  The only problem?  Changing a light bulb was previously the pinnacle of your home improvement experience.

In an attempt not only to save money but also to emulate all of the “home improvement gurus” who are popping up all over cable TV and make D.I.Y. home improvement look so very easy, more people than ever are trying their hand at some pretty complicated home renovation projects.

The only difficulty is that many are going ahead with these projects full of energy and excitement (in the beginning) and failing to plan very far ahead.  Cut to that kitchen floor on Sunday afternoon.  Half of the floor is exposed and the pungent smell of mold is in the air (who knew that was there?).  A whole box of tiles is wasted because they cracked while being cut and to top it all off the amateur Bob Vila who suggested the venture just shot a nail into his hand with that gun thing!  The rest of the afternoon is shot because it will be spent in the ER.

In fact ER doctors have seen a rise in the number of home improvement related injuries over the last couple of years, ranging from eye injuries caused by flying debris, to amputated fingers when a power saw was just a little too powerful, and lots of those nail gun injuries. In fact, according to a joint CDC/Duke University study, the incidence of consumer nail gun injuries seen in emergency rooms across the US rose 200% between 1991 and 2005.

There is nothing wrong with undertaking a little home improvement project once in a while. However, for the bigger jobs call in a professional, at least the first time.