Are you taking on a do it yourself project in the next little while? Are you thinking this might be a great way to save some money? Or maybe you are handy and want the challenge of doing something worthwhile like building new cabinets for your kitchen? What ever your reason is you need to ask yourself whether you should do it or hire a professional to do the job for you.
Skill Level
Ok, you are well skilled and have tackled many small fix it type jobs. Are you the type of person to dive into a project or sit down and plan out the project before starting. If you have all the time in the world then jump right in, but if you want to actually complete a project the way the pros do then sit down and make a plan. Then stick to that plan.
Size of Project?
How big was your last diy job? If the last thing you did in some time was change out your shower head then you might want to think about this. Again if you can sit down and plan it out and make each step almost the size of changing out a shower head you will be fine. If you are taking on a diy building project try and think in terms of dollars. If you are attempting to build a $75,000 kitchen you might want some help. If you are taking on smaller projects like installing a new floor, or painting a room, then jump right in.
The key to all of this is planning. A large job that is going to take you a year is fine to do yourself. Especially if you decide to contract out all the little jobs you can not do. This way you act as the general contractor for the project, and get your hands dirty on some of the projects as well. In a diy home building project there are dozens of trades that are required to complete a house. You can easily hire the ones you need for the jobs you do not have time for or are uncomfortable performing. This is how a lot of house builders start off as well. They contract out jobs they can not do and do what they can. Then as the company grows they keep what they have specialized in, and hire out everything else.
You should to!