Even if you consider yourself to be a reasonably confident DIY enthusiast there are always going to be certain tasks around your home that are best left to a professional.

You can’t expect to acquire all the skill and experience that is often required to tackle certain repair and maintenance jobs when it is not your usual job, so in order to avoid a potential DIY disaster, it would be good to know your limitations.

Here is a look at some DIY projects that you should think twice about before picking up your tools, including which plumbing jobs need a professional and when to think twice about performing a DIY electrical task.

Be wary of water

There are too many homeowners around who can tell you a tale related to a plumbing job that went horribly wrong and while they might be able to laugh about the ensuing water-based disaster now, it should serve as a warning that some plumbing tasks are too risky for the average DIYer.

Replacing faucets and shower-heads has the potential to go wrong but if you follow instructions and turn off the water supply before you start you should be ok to do this sort of work by yourself.

Where you should draw the line is when you are wanting to alter or expand the water supply lines in your home. This is the sort of job where you might want to get help at www.maplewoodplumbing.com/residential-plumbing/drain-cleaning/, for instance, as you could easily do a lot of damage in a short space of time and flood your home.

As a general rule when it comes to plumbing jobs, don’t attempt repairs or modifications when pipes are concealed behind walls and ceilings and avoid making any adjustments to the original pipework that carries the water around your property.

Let there be light

Another type of DIY job where a warning siren should be going off in your head before taking on a project that is going to stretch your skills and knowledge to the max is electrical work.

Again, like plumbing, there are certain regular electrical tasks that you can do yourself without too many issues as long as you are sensible and isolate the power before starting anything.

If you want to install a dimmer switch or maybe replace a ceiling light, those are the sort of DIY projects that should be well within your abilities, but if you are considering extending an existing electrical circuit or installing some new cables, do you really know how to do that safely and properly?

It is not just your personal safety that could be at stake when you make a mistake with electrical installation work, you will probably be risking violating building codes and you could even be heightening the risk of a fire in your home.

Keep it simple with electrical jobs and call in a professional for anything more complex.

Tree terrors

If one of the trees on your property has become overgrown and needs cutting back or down completely you might be tempted to dig out the chainsaw and set to work.

The bottom line is that tree cutting can come with huge risks attached and has the ability to be very dangerous when things go wrong, resulting in a potential personal injury and damage to your property.

The problem with tree cutting is that it looks inherently simple and that is what draws many DIYers into thinking that very little can go wrong when all they are doing is cutting through a chunk of wood with a chainsaw.

If you don’t know what angle and where to cut the tree you are running the risk of it falling onto you or your property. Using your chainsaw on a ladder or halfway up a tree is definitely ill-advised, so go ahead and do some minor pruning, but major tree cutting is often best left to a professional.

Working on your roof

When it comes to risky DIY jobs roofing is right up there as one of the most common ways to injure yourself and cause more damage to your home than there was before.

Roofers make it look so easy when they walk across the roof but that is because they are professionals and the combination of working at heights and on a slippery surface should give you enough of a clue that you might be better leaving it to a pro.

Knowing when not to do it yourself is a skill that every homeowner should have if they want to stay safe and avoid causing further damage to their home.

Benjamin Coles is a keen handyman and DIYer but he’s not daft and knows when to call in the professionals. He writes about how to know what you can do, and what you should leave well alone.