We all like to think that we are the masters of our own homes. The unfortunate truth is that most of us don’t know how our homes even operate the way they do. There are plenty of projects around the house that you can do yourself, but those on this list aren’t among them. If you’re not careful, mistakes during home improvement projects can be time-consuming at best and dangerous at worst. To keep you and your family safe, these are just some of the home repair projects to leave to the professionals.

Removing Walls

If you watch a lot of home makeover shows, you’ll see that many of the contractors enjoy tearing down walls wherever they can. Wanting to have a more open space is understandable, but tearing down a wall without professional input first is the height of folly. Unless you know for absolute certain that the wall isn’t load-bearing, you should probably call in someone with a little more experience to determine what’s safe.

Electrical Wiring

The dangers of electrical work are obvious, and yet some people still insist on trying to do it themselves without any sort of professional training. If you believe that something is wrong with your wiring, which is a relatively rare occurrence, don’t go digging through a mess of wires unless you know what you’re looking for. An experienced electrician will be able to find the problem much faster and much more safely.

Roofing

Doing anything a full story or two above the ground is dangerous, but trying to fix your roof adds another layer of problems. Even more than the potential for a fall is the fact that you likely won’t know the right way to fix your roof. Contractors construct roofs in very particular ways to keep out leaks and all types of weather. If repairs are necessary, a roofing expert will take much better care of your roof than you could do yourself.

Plumbing

There’s nothing quite like a leaky pipe or clogged drain to ruin your day. Unless you want an even bigger mess on your hands, plumbing fixes and improvements are projects better left to the professionals. Keep an eye out if multiple drains start to clog regularly. You can’t—and shouldn’t—try to fix this type of problem on your own. The price of the plumber is worth it when you don’t have to deal with massive spills and water damage.