When you weigh hiring a professional versus DIY, you have to consider the impact of income taxes, not just what you earn/hr versus pay/hr. You have to pay the

When you weigh hiring a professional versus DIY, you have to consider the impact of income taxes, not just what you earn/hr versus pay/hr. You have to pay the pro with post-taxed earnings, and then the pro has to pay tax on what you pay them before they can do anything with it. Whereas, if you DIY, you aren't taxed for it. (Also, many people can't just 'work ore hours' to get paid more).