Home remodeling is on the rise. Just ask a contractor or hardware store employee if you want verification.

For some reason, people get an itch to fix when the economy goes down. Most can't afford to move these days, so why not improve what you have, right?

Regardless your reasoning, there are some serious questions to consider when an upgrade is on your agenda. Top on the list is whether you should do a project yourself or pay a professional.

We talked with a few contractors and some do-it-yourself professionals for their advice on how a person could determine whether to tackle a project himself or not.

Their answers were pretty much the same. What are the costs? How much time do you have? How skilled are you with a hammer, saw and measuring tape? Those are the things you should consider.

Dave Waller, an operations manager for Lowes in Utah, said he believes there are countless fixes a person could make to his or her home if there is desire, time and right tools.

"It's really about qualifying the customer," said Waller. "Does someone really feel comfortable with what they are doing?"

From his perspective, a few easy do-it-yourself projects include painting, installing new lighting or flooring and also putting in new trims and molding.

At his store, people tend to focus on doing simple "cosmetic" projects by themselves, according to Waller. Some top-selling areas include kitchen, bath and lighting.

For instance, a person could easily upgrade their kitchen by installing new lighting fixtures or refinishing their cabinets.

Kristin Calderwood with Home Depot said flooring and new light fixtures are some of the most popular requests by customers at her store. In addition, homeowners are also focusing on landscaping now spring appears to be here.

She advises homeowners to research thoroughly any project they want to do and then make sure they are careful when measuring, cutting and fixing.

"Shedding a few beads of sweat, tears and sometimes a little blood can be very rewarding and a lot more economical than hiring out," said Calderwood.

But mistakes you make could end up being costly, said Shane McKnight, president and owner of Utah-based Shane Built Homes. He has had to repair several mistakes by do-it-yourselvers that have ended up costing more than if they had hired a professional in the first place.

He's repaired projects where a person put the wrong backerboard in a shower they tiled. The tile caved in. Other people have done electrical work where they have tied two circuits into one circuit breaker — a potentially dangerous mistake.