DIY projects for 2022: Time to start planning

Lots of people have plans for bold and ambitious DIY projects in the new year and in some cases it’s worth thinking about what approach to take. Whether straightforward decorating to more grandiose renovations, planning will bring several key advantages including:

• Getting the right tools, materials, and equipment together
• Guaranteeing the right DIY equipment will be available, especially if it’s hired
• A chance to plan out when to work on the project
• A chance to work out how long it will take to complete the project or projects

Having this information on paper ensures time and probably money are saved as it’s possible to buy materials in bulk and reserve equipment and tools for when they’re needed.

Hiring vs purchasing

Given that a DIY project is probably a one-off, some equipment may not be necessary to purchase. Purchasing things like mini diggers requires storing the equipment and the initial outlay is expensive running into the thousands of pounds. The same goes for standard hand tools. As such, hiring equipment specific to the project being worked on is the most cost effective and practical.

Is planning permission needed?

Anyone planning to build an extension or similar may have to get planning permission first. This is done via the local council. Those who are unsure should check to see if they need planning permission as nobody wants to have to take down all that hard work at a later date when a guy with a clipboard and no sense of humour turns up!

Plan the job

The first thing to do is to plan out how and when the work is going to be done, and figure out what materials are necessary and what tools we be required. It can be well worth enlisting help. All of this ensures when the job can be done, all the relevant resources will be available need to do it.

Tool hire

As mentioned, things like ladders, scaffolding, pneumatic drills and so on won’t be used very often. As such, tool hire can be the way forward. This will help with the budget and bring down costs as a lot of tools are expensive.

If a project has been planned well, home owners can secure the tools they need from their chosen company, and talk to them ahead of time to ensure the tools are available when it’s time to use them.

Digger hire

For those planning to use large scale earth moving equipment, mini digger hire will be the best option. A mini digger costs thousands of pounds and it will be necessary to store it when it’s not being used. Unless the plan is to use the digger day-in-day-out, hiring it for a specified time period is far more cost effective.

Buy in bulk

When buying in materials, it’s a good idea to try and buy in bulk. There are normally substantial discounts for doing so, and the materials will be on hand when they’re needed. DIY-ers who’ve planned well will know how much cement, bricks, glass and other materials they’re need, so buying in bulk makes sense.

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