They say that every day is a school day, learn something new or remind yourself of something you already know.
This thought popped into my head as I lay on my side by the overturned mini-digger I was driving, checking that all my limbs were still there and intact.
So how did I find myself in this predicament? Briefly, there was a section of our garden that needed to be cleared of some bush and tree stumps as well as miscellaneous weeds and undergrowth. At this point I know what you are thinking, but to continue.
I can do this myself I thought, hire a digger and a skip, save myself some money, job done!
As the ‘client’, I knew what my outcome was, to have a clear levelled ground space with all the waste taken away. Unfortunately for me, what I didn’t have was the experience, proper training or skill set to drive a digger.
My confidence in my abilities to do the job myself, thus saving money was misplaced.
Fortunately, I was unscathed, however that cannot be said of the digger, it came off worse than me, and of course that damage came with a financial cost.
So, to sum up, what was going to save me money by doing the work myself, not only ended up with the work not being done, but also costing me three times as much than if I’d hired a professional to do it for me in the first place!
The moral of the story is this, whether you are maintaining your own property or are responsible for the Facilities of multiple properties and assets, bring in the experts. Be clear about what you want delivered and pay them to do what they do best. Get the work done on time, to a professional standard and long term, at less cost.