What is wrong with DIY?

 To boil the discussion down to its most basic points, we need to know "who" is doing what.  The obvious answer is that "You" are doing whatever it is.

The next question is, "Who is doing it otherwise?" And the answer is usually, particularly in the argumentative side is, paid professionals, or rather, people who get paid to do work and have, usually, some demonstrated skill, knowledge,  and experience doing it. That's not always the case though. 

But to hear the arguments, the DIY just can not be as "good" as the professional.   Which is ridiculous bullshit, but it is the common argument.  Any so called professional doing the work they usually do in their job, in their own home, without being paid to do so, is "DIYing".

Many people who are not in a particular profession but hold themselves to professional standards,  can achieve entirely equal results if they take the time to learn, practice, and actually apply those standards.

BUT... a particular aspect within the two  outer points isn't just being paid to do work.  It's the tools, materials, and techniques that are implemented, as well.

Very often, particular results are achieved by using certain quality and design of certain tools made of certain materials, to achieve certain, specific, results.  Those things are often manufactured, and often expensive as a result.

Not only are tools and materials used by professionals intended for specific, repeatable results, they are made to reduce the time to do so as well.  Because at the end of the day, being a professional is about how much work you can in the shortest time possible so as to get more paying jobs completed, and paid for, in the shortest amount of time.  

That's not a bad thing, as long as the results are what they are supposed to be and not ripping people off.

But often, the tools and materials used in DIY aren't usually the same design, quality or specific.  The budget one has when deciding to DIY a project is usually lower.  It's usually tge point.  Though there are plenty of times the point is because the person doing DIY knows, or at least thinks, they can do as good, or better, of a job at it themselves. They have something in mind that they decide anyone else isn't going to achieve.

Nonetheless, in DIY the potential for error, failure, and non-machined aesthetics is higher more often than not.  Because it's done more by people. With what's at hand or available rather than using manufactured products.

People are more willing to concede to time available,  money available, and the appearance of the result because it's their own, rather than for someone else.  And that's OK.  

Part of the reason people think lesser of DIY nowadays is because people think differently about the house or place they live in differently.   Now, homeowners tend to think of a house as investment items to be sold for profit rather than a "forever home" they would always own and pass on to their children.

Consequently standardization and resale potential are more valued than maintaining an heirloom.  There are far more building codes and regulations that have been taken up requiring people to conform in certain things that are more achievable or restricted to certain professions and trades , limiting what people actually can DIY, legally anyway.

So, nothing really is "wrong" with DIY.  It's just that it's unfairly compared to legislated and regulated results and methods "approved" by society and government in general.   In that way, DIY simply cannot "measure up".  Because it's literally illegal to in too many cases.

Where it's not illegal to do those things, I really encourage everyone to DIY as much as they are able to.  If enough people get back to DIY as the standard, many of these unnecessary codes and regulations that really only exist to perpetuate the HOA mentality,  will be rolled back and changed to favor things bring made and done to grow solutions, materials,  tools, etc .. that address actual safety issues and concerns but allowing for the DIYer to do so themself.