Craft & Honest Answers
DIY It or Call Someone: The Honest Line
Craft & Honest AnswersFree starter set
When to use it: Monthly — take one common job and draw the line in public.
The structure
- Line 1: "[Job]: here is where we draw the line."
- List A — "Do it yourself": the parts that are genuinely safe and simple, with the one-sentence how.
- List B — "Call someone (us or anyone)": the parts where the risk is real, named specifically (gas, panel, structure, warranty).
- Close: "If you DIY the first list and it goes sideways, calling us after is not embarrassing. It is Tuesdays."
Guidance — read before you write
Telling people what NOT to hire you for is the highest-trust post a service business can make. Be genuinely generous with List A — if your DIY instructions only work when they fail into a service call, readers will know.
A worked example
"Water heaters: here is where we draw the line. DIY freely: relighting a pilot (instructions are on the tank), replacing the anode rod if you are handy, adjusting temperature to 120. Call someone — us or anyone: anything involving the gas line, a leaking tank body, or a valve that will not seat. One is a Saturday project; the other is how houses get hurt. And if the anode rod defeats you mid-job, calling us after is not embarrassing. It is Tuesdays."