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Here at Electronic House, we look to appeal to two types of gadget fans: those who would hire an installer to do the work and those would do-it-themselves.
The two sides, however, don’t always see eye-to-eye.
If you’ve got the cash, but don’t have the time or the desire, hiring a CE Pro makes sense. They’ll do all the work, keep it all professional, and handle any headaches that pop up along the way.
Many DIYers, however, enjoy putting together systems and may not have same type of money to spend for professional install.
But does that mean they’ll never call in a pro?
If you’re the type to do-it-yourself, we want to know if and when you think you’d ever hire a professional. When it involves more than one room? When you need a specific line of product? When your wife says so?
Remember, calling in a CE Pro doesn’t mean you’re looking to set up a mega multi-zone installation; you may just need them to hang a flat panel.
So, when is it time to call in the pros?
Answer the poll and then let us know why in a comment.
I pretty much agree with Paul. The problem is that some CE Pros make their money on margins of equipment and if you’re supplying your own you don’t get as much interest. It is a very tough business model for them.
I do most things myself, but will go to a pro for three reasons:
1) It’s something I don’t know how to do, or don’t have time to educate myself on doing correctly.
2) I know how to do it, but need special equipment which I can’t rent or buy for a decent price.
3) I know how to do it, and that experience taught me that I should pay a pro to do it next time.
Case in point: I installed a 3 room in-ceiling speaker system in my old home. While I did it myself for about 40% of what the professional quote was, I took 5 times longer to do it than the pro’s quoted me on, and I probably cut way more holes in my walls and ceilings then they would have during the process.
That experience led me to pay a pro to do it for me in our new home. I negotiated that I would supply the speakers and wire, and they would perform the instalation. I still saved some money, and didn’t have to patch any drywall, which made me very happy.
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Like many DIYers, I do it myself because I enjoy it but also out of financial necessity too. The big problem is when you go beyond the big box stores. I would love to install a Control4 system but that requires $100’s of installation and programming costs plus ongoing costs if I want to make changes.
All my lighting is INSTEON and that works great. I’m exploring LinuxMCE for automation.
The only area where I have no choice but to use a “pro” is home security, where my state requires installations can only performed by licenced installers :-(