A: As a contractor referral service, our main focus is to match you with the most appropriate home improvement professionals. To learn how to do work yourself, you should probably check into books or classes offered at home improvement stores where they can help you use the products they sell. There are also many books and how-to videos sold online.

You might also check to see if you have any owner-builder centers in your area that offer classes and referrals to professionals who are willing to work with owner-builders like you who want to do some of the labor themselves.

Finally, you might look into local schools, including high schools, community colleges and vocational schools that offer classes in the building trades because you might be able to hire some students to help you.

Along the way if you find you need to hire professionals for some home improvement projects you cannot handle yourself, visit Home Advisor and enter a service request to be matched with the ideal service professional in your area.

by Kathy Maynard, reprinted courtesy of HomeAdvisor.com