Don't Call a Pro Yet—You Can Actually Fix These Home Problems Yourself, We Promise

When it comes to accomplishing a home project, it can be tempting to call a pro—and in many cases, it’s a must.

It’s never a good idea to DIY something you’re not confident about. But in many cases, you might be talking yourself out of doing something that you can easily tick off the list.

To empower everyone to attempt a DIY project now and then, we turned to a few incredible pros to ask—what home fixes are easier than they appear?

As it turns out, there are quite a few things we’ve been outsourcing, and they’re easy tasks to tackle both indoors and out.

Hang That Gallery Wall Once and For All

If you’ve been saving up your framed art until you can hire a pro for that gallery wall, interior designer Benji Lewis wants to assure everyone it’s not as complicated as it looks. 

There are several easy hacks to use when hanging pictures. Simply measure the wall space you wish to use for your gallery and lay your art out on the ground, confining your pieces to that same amount of space.

“Move the artwork around until you find a configuration you like and then transpose the pictures onto your wall,” Lewis says. Easy, breezy!

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You Can Definitely Mulch and Weed Yourself

If you already outsource things like mowing the lawn, it might seem easy to add mulching and weeding to your pros list. 

But as Cate Singleton, director of design for Tilly’s, notes, these are two incredibly easy tasks you can take on yourself. She knows this from experience and shared her tips.

Much like weeding, mulching also falls under Singleton’s too-easy-to-outsource umbrella. Singleton suggests bagged mulch for smaller jobs and a wheelbarrow for larger projects, and she also shared how much you should account for. 

“A good rule of thumb is about 2” of mulch spread pretty evenly,” she says.

Painting Your Home Isn’t All That Scary

There are plenty of times when hiring pros to paint your home is a must. If you have unreachable ceilings, for example, or you’re tackling a more difficult surface than standard drywall, you might need to pay someone else.

But if you’re looking to paint a straightforward space, Lewis says this should certainly be a DIY project.

Most important, says Lewis, is the prep work. Don’t rush the process, and make sure you apply painter's tape diligently—but once that’s finished, you'll find this is a project you can handle.

Don’t Be Afraid to Edge Your Landscaping

Because of its precise nature, the idea of landscape edging can cause some anxiety for many home gardeners, but Singleton assures us it’s much easier than it looks.

It’s also a great, low-impact way to instantly clean up your home’s curb appeal.

“Edging can be as simple as using a spade to create a v-cut edge to define the line between lawn and landscape bed area,” Singleton says. 

Yes, You Can DIY Raised Garden Beds

In recent years, raised garden beds have become a favored option in the garden, and Singleton says they’re actually pretty easy to make. 

“They can be a simple, easy rectangle shape or possibly an L-shaped raised bed,” she says. “Galvanized tubs can also work great for veggie and cutting gardens.” 

Don't Be Afraid to Get—and Stay—Organized

Pro-organizers are an incredible option for plenty of reasons, but if you don’t have the budget or aren’t sure you’re ready for that step yet, Lewis says DIY organizing is something you can implement on your own.

The most important thing is to make it a habit rather than an overwhelming task. Lewis says he prefers to start his day as tidy as possible, with his bed made and all surfaces cleared before he heads to the office. The same applies at the end of the day. 

“At the close of each day, I clean my desk of all paperwork and stationery, even wiping off the keyboard,” Lewis says. 

While a pro might be great to tap in as needed, with daily habits in place, you’ll notice your space has been tidy and organized for longer than you realized.