GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Instead of enjoying and relaxing for many it seems the weekend is filled with a 'to do' list before it even starts.

You could do it yourself, but does being a DIYer really pay off? And are you really an expert?

In this special report we take you through the numbers to find a balance between being cent savvy and practicing false economy.

We took a look at common home maintenance and repair projects, talked to experts, found out what they charge, how much time they think it would take you do to do the same job and what they're going to spot you might not.

Is it worth the time and money to do it yourself? We start with a look at indoor projects.

"At some point your weekend becomes worth, what? What is your kid's time worth? What is time with your spouse worth?" asks Nathan Staton of Quality Construction. And that's the question, at what point do you cross the line from being cost–effective to wasting time and resources, the most important one being money.

First, we have to figure what your time is worth. The average Grand Junction household income is $24,963 per adult, that averages to making $12 an hour. Since free time is prime time, any work you do off the clock bills at an overtime rate of $18.

HOUSEKEEPING
Cleaning the house is something most of us can do for ourselves, but hunting dust bunnies isn't really a sport.

Pro Housekeeper Marion Baldwin's been scrubbing sinks and mopping floors for 10 years. She likes knowing her hard work lets her clients enjoy a little more actual playtime. "I think it gives them a little bit more time with their family, with their children to have some time, especially if they're working all day," she says.

Baldwin brings her own equipment and supplies and works with the homeowner to personalize the deep clean. "Some clients and they only use organic and that's what I focus on there because there's allergies," she says.

She also says every house and job are different, "I just usually come and meet the family first and then I go through it and I give them a price." But she charges $50 for the average job and she says it takes an hour and a half.

Let's say it takes you three hours to clean your house and another $5 a week in supplies for a DIY total of $59.

CARPET CLEANING
It's part of keeping house. Carpet cleaning is a big time sucker, but you have to do it.

"Maintained properly it gives you more performance and better life," says Eddie Ward, owner of Good Shepard Carpet Cleaning.

He says DIY options can remove stains but leave residue behind that causes resoiling. Professionals put cleaner down first then use hot water to pull out the dirt. "We show up with super powerful equipment that is just going to out perform your home units that you buy or the rental units you can get at the supermarkets," Ward says.

His typical job is 1,000 square feet and the job is done in about an hour and a half for an average $180.

"If you had a Bissell machine or a rental machine from the store you're gonna spend in my opinion at least four or five hours and you're still not gonna get the results that we can deliver," Ward says.

DIY labor cost is $81, add in a $25 machine rental and your basic cost is $106, more if you buy your own unit and cleaning supplies.

DRY CLEANING
Getting stained garments to the dry cleaner right away might not top your to do list, but Holiday Cleaners Owner Mike Sitz says it should. "If you have items that have stains on them we're equipped to identify the stain, break it down and get it flushed out without damaging the fabric," he says.

There are commercial products that claim to let you do dry cleaning at home. A pack of Dryel Sheets cost about $10 and will clean 24 items. But are they a good idea? "Dryel sheets in tests have been proven to be ineffective. You would probably get similar results by using a dryer with nothing in it. The air oxidizing whatever the odor is is basically what's happening there," Sitz says.

Garment cleaning costs an average of $3.85 each at Holiday Cleaners. Sitz says your clothes are available in just two days and their work includes cleaning with a professional solvent and finishing.

The DIY product costs you $.42 for each piece but Sitz says they're neither cleaned nor finished.

DOG GROOMING
Your dog is probably a big contributor to messing up your house so whether she likes it or not, it's bath time.

Pet Spa Owner Johnnie Farmer says people can groom their own pets, but mistakes happen and you can do more damage than just giving your dog a bad 'do. "Another one is not using a dog product, like a shampoo or a conditioner. They'll just take their shampoo out of their shower because yeah, it might be a top quality shampoo for you but it's not pH balanced for a dog so you can get itchy skin, bad coats," Farmer says.

It's not just what you do in the tub that matters, it's the equipment, how to use it, and she also knows what to look for. "I can see that something's maybe not quite right and suggest that they take them to the vet for a diagnosis," she says.

Farmer takes about three hours, charges an average $35 and includes shampoo, condition, blow dry, ear cleaning, hair cut, nail trim and more.
Four hours to pamper your pet is $72, basic materials start at an average $15 a wash and your DIY total comes to $87.

REMODELING
Even if your house is clean, that doesn't mean it feels like home.
Experts say rather than moving, lots of people unhappy with their nest remodel. But, "The amount of work you can do without a permit is pretty limited. You can do a few things, you can take your sink out and change it, you can paint, stuff like that, But even a fence you have to have a permit. Changing windows, you have to have a permit," says Nathan Staton of Quality Construction.

He also says permits aren't the only place where hiring a professional could pay off. "Your mold issues, radon, crawlspace moisture, foundation, and those kinds of issues are things that you really should have a professional look at."

He says you should probably also leave the electrical and plumbing work to the pros if those projects top your honey–do list.

Now to the out–of–doors projects.

WINDOW CLEANING
Clean windows aren't just for admiring the views. "When you have new glass and you allow different things to build up, then it's much, much harder to get off," says pro window cleaner Calvin Wilkin, owner of A & A Rocky Mountain Enterprises.

He says you should clean your home's windows at least twice a year to remove build–up. "For most people it's simply that they don't like to do it. It kinda rates like going to the dentist," he says.

Glass is a liquid, not a solid, and Wilkin says there's more to it than meets the eye. "It really helps to have an understanding of what you're doing so that you don't ruin your window."

His invoice depends on the number of windows, stories in your home and extra work he has to do to get them sparkling clean, but let's say his average job is $100 for about an hour and a half worth of labor. It's double the time and price if you want the inside washed, too.

Estimate that same job will take you five hours, add $10 for basic cleaner and paper towels and you're looking at a DIY price of $100. More if you buy gadgets.

SWAMP COOLER SET-UP
Soon it'll be time to uncover the swamp cooler and Bill Hirt of 72 Degrees says it's not hard for you to get the unit ready for spring.
"Swamp coolers are not too complicated. They're pretty simple, they have a pump, they have a motor, they have a belt and they have a waterline. If all those work it's pretty simple. It's pretty easy to detect what's wrong with them, too."

So why hire an expert? "If they're incapable of being on the roof, if they're incapable and unsure if it's something they can do themselves, that's where we come in," he says.

They do the job in about an hour and a half and charge $72.

The average homeowner, "Depending on if they have to go get the parts, knowing the sizes they need, two to three hours," he says.
And expect to spend an average of $35 for parts and pads. The math: $45 in labor plus materials puts you at $80.

GUTTER CLEANING
Another job for the ladder, gutter cleaning.

It's something you should do twice a year, but many homeowners don't give their gutters a second thought.

"Flowing gutters keep your fascia from getting ruined as well as your siding and most importantly your foundation of your home," says Max Sterling, owner of Max's Gutter Installation, Cleaning and Repair.

He says there's nothing wrong with DIY gutter cleaning, but be careful. "We have special devices where we actually get into the downspouts and clean them out without damaging the gutter which is actually pretty easy to do."

The math: experts will take about two and a half hours, do repair work and make sure your gutters are working for an average $150.

Homeowners can spend four hours and anywhere from $20 to $150 on gadgets for a total of $157 to DIY.

HOUSE PAINTING
House painting isn't just for curb appeal. "Paint is actually made to fail. The idea is that the expensive stuff, the actual siding or whatever the surface is, that is the expensive stuff that costs a lot to replace," says Mike Day, owner of Sunshine Painting.

He says prep is where the real hard work is. "The painting many people say is the easy part. We start the exterior with washing it, we pressure wash the houses, make sure we get all the dirt, grime off of it. Then you have to scrape it, you have to get down to a good solid surface."

Day says even if you know what work you need to do, it's a good idea to call a pro if you run into anything difficult, dangerous, dirty or different.

His bill depends on labor, home size and more, but does a free estimate and gets a big discount on paint.

His typical job takes less than a week and runs an average $1,500.
It could take a homeowner two weeks of solid work. That's $1,440 plus $500 in paint. Total: $1,940.

LAWN CARE
You'd probably rather spend your weekend watching the grass grow instead of cutting it.

"Three inches or so is a real good length for most grasses in the Valley. That way it keeps enough moisture and is healthy," says AAA Lawn Care Owner Shane Allerheiligen.

He says there's a lot more to clipping your grass than running the mower over it and it's when people try to cut costs on mower maintenance and repair that they really pay the price. "It's actually probably cheaper in the long run to just hire a company that can do an economical every two week kind of mowing than to maintain their own equipment," he says.

Allerheiligen offers an express service that'll get your grass cut every two weeks for $20.

He estimates the same job would take a homeowner about two hours.
Your $18 rate puts you at $36 for labor plus an average $10 for mower repair, maintenance, gas and oil. Total: $46 every two weeks.

BASIC CAR MAINTENANCE
Car owners trying to steer clear of expenses might try doing a little DIY in the garage. "Oil changes are one of the few things you probably could still do if you wanted to do it, but that's about it," says Don Haynes, owner of D & G Autocare.

He says there's more under the hood than just oil. The batter, transmission and brake fluid and more fall under routine maintenance to keep your car running great. "A contentious service place will be checking all of those things for you bring it in for your regular routine maintenance," says Haynes.

He says with the economy, the problem isn't really whether people are trying to DIY, it's whether they're trying to take care of their car at all.
"People aren't maintaining their cars so the number of cars that we work on has dropped but the amount of the repair bills that we're seeing has gone up... drastically," he says.

There's a winter service special at D & G, for $38 you get a 50 point inspection with your oil change and you're out the door in about 45 minutes.

Average time for you to do it at home is an hour, oil and parts is about $30 for a DIY total of $48.

Now, a lot of folks just like tinkering with cars, enjoy the satisfaction of doing things for themselves or want to know the work that's done is quality so they like the DIY challenge.

If you decide DIY isn't for you, everyone I spoke with said the best thing you can do before hiring anyone is to call around, get bids, ask for and check references.

The experts had tons of other free advice and information. Watch the extended information video by clicking the link above.

Contact information for the businesses interviewed is below.
HOUSEKEEPER:
Marion Baldwin
245–8502 or 270–1190

CARPET CLEANING:
Eddie Ward
Good Shepherd Carpet Cleaning
257-1111

DRY CLEANING:
Mike Sitz
Holiday Cleaners
241–2594

DOG GROOMING:
Johnnie Farmer
The Pet Spa
241–8499

REMODELING:
Nathan Staton
Quality Construction
234.6653

WINDOW CLEANING:
Calvin Wilkin
A & A Rocky Mountain Enterprises
433–9909

SWAMP COOLER SET-UP
Bill Hirt
72 Degrees
241–5905

GUTTER CLEANING
Max Sterling
Max's Gutter Installation, Cleaning & Repair
250–2093

HOUSE PAINTING
Mike Day
Sunshine Painting
260–6060

LAWN CARE
Shane Allerheiligen
AAA Lawn Care
234–1607

CAR MAINTENANCE
Don Haynes
D & G Autocare
243-3404