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I've been putting off home projects are for years. Like painting the exterior of house. I know I could ask questions of Reddit and such for free, but I don't want to pester multiple times.

Are there websites or apps or whatnot where you pay a small sum (under $50ish preferred) to have a pro go over your DIY plan and/or to ask specific questions and view my photos and give their feedback? I'm almost certain I came across some of these sites in the past but they're hard to find again as every site is so eager to answer "should I hire a pro or DIY".

Also, would asking chatGPT4 be of any help? (Only half kidding.)

isherwood
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Michelle Williams
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    This site should be able to help. The site prefers a question to be for a specific part of a job, how to wrap a wire around a screw instead of how to wire your house. There is also a search function to find similar questions/answers to your question. It is suggested to use the search function before asking the same question again. – crip659 Feb 12 '24 at 20:06
  • Thank you vm. When writing my post I had reddit in mind but the "homeimprovement" unexpectedly connected to stack exchange, where I've seldom felt wise enough to even ask a question. I will use their specific search function now. Am considering just deleting my amateur post. If you recommend doing so I will now. – Michelle Williams Feb 12 '24 at 20:14
  • Some things we do not like to answer, like removing a load bearing wall, but we can suggest if a wall is loading bearing or not. Load bearing wall removal should be done under a structural engineer on site(at house). Adding before pictures do help us see the problem. – crip659 Feb 12 '24 at 20:35
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    Keys are: 1 - Ask clear questions - lots of detail is good, pictures are extremely useful for a lot of topics. 2 - Don't be scared by "Close" - except for certain extremes, "Close" usually means either "this is too vague, give us more detail" or "this is a duplicate - here is a similar question that already has good answers". 3 - Do try to search first (to avoid "duplicate close") but we understand that sometimes searching is not as easy as you it should be, particularly if a particular topic is very new to you so that you don't know all the terminology. We're here to help. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Feb 12 '24 at 21:03
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    Re: ChatGPT - what gets a bit crazy is that StackExchange Corporate is big on AI, trying to make money off of it. But most of the smaller SE sites, like DIY, are dead-set against AI. The problem, particularly with DIY, is that ChatGPT (and similar) tend to give answers that sound plausible but either are too vague to really be useful or sometimes give outright dangerous answers. The regulars here can spot ChatGPT answers a mile a way and burn them to the ground. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Feb 12 '24 at 21:06
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    Definitely work with us here. (Register, take the tour https://diy.stackexchange.com/tour ). There might be situations where you need someone on-site: look for an older general contractor, preferably a sole proprietorship. And ChatGPT hallucinates. – Aloysius Defenestrate Feb 12 '24 at 21:14
  • Welcome! Unfortunately this is seeking product/service recommendations as therefore is off-topic. I am voting to close it. Take the [tour] and if you have a specific home improvement question come back and ask it. – matt. Feb 13 '24 at 00:25
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    @isherwood 100% hard disagree. This question can never be made on-topic with “a little editing”. It is a request for off-site resources, which is off topic here, end of discussion. – nobody Feb 13 '24 at 01:32
  • @nobody, [citation needed]. There is no such rule on this site. You may be confusing our policy with that of Stack Overflow. Restart of discussion (seeing as you aren't in any way an authority here). – isherwood Feb 13 '24 at 20:03

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You won't get anyone to take legal (or even moral) liability off your hands for 50 bucks, and any answers you'd get for that small sum would be highly suspect, in my book. You're in the lowest tier of "professionals" at that point, which can be hard to distinguish from scoundrels on an individual basis.

Generative AI can get you pointed in a sensible direction, but I would not trust anything critical to what it spits out. Treat it as experimental, which it very much is.

Either properly hire someone to consult with you or do your own research and ask the right questions of us here or local friends who actually care about your safety and financial well being (and whom you'd pay with beer and/or pizza).

isherwood
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    Don't answer off-topic questions! – nobody Feb 13 '24 at 00:46
  • Also there's a fine line between offering paid Q&A, and charging for doing Estimates. You need to establish a lot of trust and to be working with advanced DIY-ers before you can walk that line with credibility. Needs some thought. – jay613 Feb 13 '24 at 01:08