All I know is that my previous husband and I, we are both engineers,
installed our own with advice from a DIY alarm shop. Consequently we knew
every wire, every switch, and all the details of the system. It worked
great. The only time we had a problem was when we were struck by lightning
and it fried the panel. But we had it up and going again with a new panel
within 24 hours because we knew exactly what to do.
When I had a professional installation done at my condo after my divorce,we
had numerous problems, and it always took time and money to get them fixed.
I have sinced moved into a house with a system that was already installed.
The installer was kind enough to give me his code so that I could make some
needed changes. I really enjoyed reading the manuals and getting to know
the system. Of course when this dies, I will call Jack. ;-)
Which all sort of confirms what I said.
It's not a matter of smart because you can do it. As a matter of fact,
I think that the "smart" come into play when you finally figure out
that it's better to let someone who knows what they're doing ..... do
it. There's a learning curve that DIY'ers never consider or include
in their "stories" about the installation. If you took the amount of
time it took you to learn about and install the system and figured it
at your hourly salary, and figured what you could have earned during
that same period of time, you'd likely come to a figure worth twice as
much as you could have paid, if you'd have had someone else do it.
I can repair any household appliance. I can repair oil furnaces. I can
repair small engines and inboard and out board marine engines, I can
repair automobiles. I can shingle a house and their roofs. I can paint
houses inside and out. I can install chain link and vinyl fencing. I
can lay lawn sod, and plant shrubs. I can install lawn sprinkler
systems. I can do houshold electrical wiring and plumbing. I can't lay
brick but I can work with cement. I'm a woodworker and can stain and
finish any kind of cabinetry. And I'm sure there's a few other things,
I just can't remember. How did I learn all these things? Because of
the various jobs I've held and because when I was young, I didn't have
enough money to hire anyone.
Would I do any of that anymore? Not on your life. Early in life, doing
things yourself is usually a matter of economics. You don't make
enough money so your time is worth the investment to do things
yourself. Upon reaching a certain income level, one should get a
little bit "smarter" and figure out that they can make more money and
have some left over, by hiring someone who does it professionally. As
you can plainly see from your own experience .......until they reach
that level ( economically or intellectually) , DIY'ers will brag about
how much money they "saved" and how much "fun" it was.
