Home Improvement: Do It Yourself or Hire a Contractor?

Knowing whether or not tackle a home improvement yourself can seem simple: Match the project's degree of difficulty to your own skill level and make a decision, right? Although that line of thinking is a solid jumping-off point, you need to consider other factors before deciding whether you're better off picking up a hammer or the telephone.

Here are some guidelines to help you figure out when it pays to do it yourself, and when your ambition can do damage to your property, your pocketbook, or -- even worse -- your person.