As somebody who is interested in improving my home, learning things and acquiring tools, I would like to know if there is an existing market for professionals advising and supervising DIY projects.
In my naive opinion, it seems like it should be a good way for customers to save money and a good way for skilled professionals to make money as they won't need to manage a labor force on the site, and ideally they could take on more of these kinds of jobs in tandem.
I'm imagining a process consisting of consulting & education sessions, and clearly decided stop-point inspections for critical matters like electrical work, demolition, framing, etc.
I would also love to see this sort of business model play out for workers & supervisors in under-served neighborhoods.
Best Answer
DIY projects, probably not. The price would negate any financial benefit of doing it yourself in many cases. That said, I've resorted to the beer-for-services approach many times for electrical and plumbing consulting visits from friends and relatives, which is usually win-win.
Major remodels and builds, yes. In fact, my family's company offered such a service at one time. We'd make regular trips to your jobsite and create reports of progress and areas of concern. You'd be the general contractor of record. It was a way to save tens of thousands of dollars on a project, yet still have peace of mind that it was done well, and it helped grease the wheels with inspectors and sub-contractors. The service probably falls under the umbrella term "building consultant", but there may be others.