How much does DIY save in terms of energy and resources?
Posted: Sat 06 Feb 2016, 11:26:48I'm a DIY kind of guy. I built my own home, water system, energy systems, outbuildings, greenhouse, fences..... I could go on. How much did I save in terms of money, resources, and energy. I'm not going to try and quantify everything on some sort of ledger, as this is a broader question. How much does doing these things myself save society in terms of overall consumption?
Scenario one:
I decide what I want to do, make a plan, call a contractor (who makes a trip to my home to see what I want done), agree on a price, sign a contract, and factor that cost into our income/savings. Of course, someone in the family has to work to produce those funds in the first place. The contractor generally has to hire help, pay taxes, get business insurance and licenses, cover health insurance for himself and employees somehow (thanks to the ACA), pay many other associated costs. He and his employees have to get back and forth to the job. I could go on, but hiring a contractor involves hiring numerous other intermediaries in what becomes a fairly complex assembly of arrangements and supply chains, including getting materials, and hiring subcontractors, etc.. As a former contractor, I can attest to the fact that there's also a lot of waste involved along the way; the costs of which are built into the eventual price I pay. No matter. Hopefully the job gets done to my satisfaction, and likely done quickly compared to my plodding and deliberate way of doing things. In the end, however, there are probably hundreds of workers and intermediaries involved in what may be a fairly simple project.
Scenario two:
I produce my plan at my desk, make a list (hopefully complete), check to see if I can cut back on that list using stuff I've salvaged or have left over from previous jobs, etc., Then I make a trip to the home store, load my carts, pay for the stuff, load it on my trailer, haul it home and go to work. No contract, often no permit - certain things in my jurisdiction don't require permits if it's a DIY job. Besides, who's to know? I have my own insurance already, and there are no employees, except, perhaps, a little help from friends and family. Anyone who visits my place will soon realise that I waste very little. I've eliminated a slew of intermediaries and their related consumption, and the sole employee is me. I'm already here and don't need transportation to/from the job.
Then there's "sweat equity"; wealth produced from my own labor that doesn't get transferred to the greater economy. When I completed our home and had it appraised, about 60% of its appraised value was my own sweat equity. Of course, it took about 6 years, but what's the rush?
My main question is; how much do I save in terms of overall energy, materials, and other costs by doing things myself? How much does the greater economy suffer? Am I not being a "team player", or am I doing my part by reducing my overall consumption while achieving the same (often better, IMO) results? While I admit that my motives are, in part, selfish, that I have the skills to do most of the things I need done (and enjoy doing them), and that if I built it, I can repair/maintain it, I have to wonder; is society better off? Does it make any difference at all?
Scenario one:
I decide what I want to do, make a plan, call a contractor (who makes a trip to my home to see what I want done), agree on a price, sign a contract, and factor that cost into our income/savings. Of course, someone in the family has to work to produce those funds in the first place. The contractor generally has to hire help, pay taxes, get business insurance and licenses, cover health insurance for himself and employees somehow (thanks to the ACA), pay many other associated costs. He and his employees have to get back and forth to the job. I could go on, but hiring a contractor involves hiring numerous other intermediaries in what becomes a fairly complex assembly of arrangements and supply chains, including getting materials, and hiring subcontractors, etc.. As a former contractor, I can attest to the fact that there's also a lot of waste involved along the way; the costs of which are built into the eventual price I pay. No matter. Hopefully the job gets done to my satisfaction, and likely done quickly compared to my plodding and deliberate way of doing things. In the end, however, there are probably hundreds of workers and intermediaries involved in what may be a fairly simple project.
Scenario two:
I produce my plan at my desk, make a list (hopefully complete), check to see if I can cut back on that list using stuff I've salvaged or have left over from previous jobs, etc., Then I make a trip to the home store, load my carts, pay for the stuff, load it on my trailer, haul it home and go to work. No contract, often no permit - certain things in my jurisdiction don't require permits if it's a DIY job. Besides, who's to know? I have my own insurance already, and there are no employees, except, perhaps, a little help from friends and family. Anyone who visits my place will soon realise that I waste very little. I've eliminated a slew of intermediaries and their related consumption, and the sole employee is me. I'm already here and don't need transportation to/from the job.
Then there's "sweat equity"; wealth produced from my own labor that doesn't get transferred to the greater economy. When I completed our home and had it appraised, about 60% of its appraised value was my own sweat equity. Of course, it took about 6 years, but what's the rush?
My main question is; how much do I save in terms of overall energy, materials, and other costs by doing things myself? How much does the greater economy suffer? Am I not being a "team player", or am I doing my part by reducing my overall consumption while achieving the same (often better, IMO) results? While I admit that my motives are, in part, selfish, that I have the skills to do most of the things I need done (and enjoy doing them), and that if I built it, I can repair/maintain it, I have to wonder; is society better off? Does it make any difference at all?