That is just what we all did when I was a kid growing up in a small Okla. town. We all helped each other no matter how big the job was. We had wallpaper stripping parties. The men would get together and knock out a wall and redo a kitchen. They were always helping each other fix cars. The great thing is that as I was growing up I learned how to FIX just about anything. Sure saves MONEY. And we had a good time, too.
"That is just what we all did when I was a kid growing up in a small Okla. town. We all helped each other no matter how big the job was. "
Yup. That is how neighbors do, if they are good people. Anyone can fall into a situation that keeps them from doing some jobs they need to do. They can fall ill, become elderly, or suffer from economic problems. Real neighbors help out. It's the right thing to do. Lousy neighbors call the authorities.
Mahwah does not smile kindly upon homeowners doing their own work. Lots of high priced permits and inspections are required.
Every time my daughter hired a contractor it was a big mess, and half the time she got ripped off by them. The best work done on her house (which had had some very poor work done on it by the previous owner that the town overlooked) was done by my husband in the dark of night behind closed doors. More than once my husband had to repair shoddy work that a high priced contractor had done.
There seem to be 3 kinds of houses in Mahwah -- really old ones like the one described in this article, subdivisions built in the 1960s, and enormous homes that have been put in in the last 10 years on "tear down" sites.