Renovation do-it-yourself projects have become more popular, especially with the rise of television shows such as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. They make it look so easy to "flip" a house, don't they? DIY is popular mainly because doing it yourself saves money, obviously. Contractors can be expensive: They have to consider materials, labor, insurance as well as their profit margin when quoting a price. Frankly, they are in business to make money to put food on their families' tables. So hiring someone won't necessarily be cheap.

DIY projects are not necessarily hard to do. All the home improvement stores and even some community colleges offer seminars in how to complete common tasks such as applying tile or building decks. There are also scores of books, magazines, pamphlets and other information on all sorts of projects. You can also look online for more tips.

By carefully planning what you are doing and knowing how to use the equipment, you should be able to do the most common tasks yourself. As an added feature, making it your own project will give your family a chance to "bond" and give you a great feeling of accomplishment.

On the other hand, you may decide that hiring a professional is best for you. People are busy today and you simply may not have time to wallpaper the bedroom. Or, you may start a project and run out of time: a family emergency may arise and any free time you thought you had is gone. It happens.

Another common scenario occurs when someone gets started on a project and encounters a problem. It is perfectly all right to contact a professional to either fix just the problem portion or to finish the entire project. Some contractors are sneaky and tack on an additional fee to fix problem projects but if you shop around and find a reputable contractor, he or she should treat you fairly.

So, before you start a home improvement project, ask yourself: Do I have the time to do the work? Do I know how to do the work? Are there resources I can refer to if something unexpected arises? Or, would it be worth it to hire a professional? Have I called around and gotten price estimates for labor and materials?

By asking these common-sense questions before you start, you can determine whether you have the makings of a do-it-yourselfer or if you'd rather leave it to the pros. It's better to figure that out now than after you've gotten yourself into a mess you can't get out of.