The trouble with winter is that we start to notice things around the house that need fixing up. Little things, like all those fingerprints pressed into the wall going up the stairs on the opposite side of the handrail, the kitchen linoleum with lots of cuts and curling edges, or the tattered wallpaper hanging on as if by sheer will.

Home improvement television shows convince us that most projects are “do-it-yourself” ones. Wow! Look what can be done in 30 minutes, 60 minutes tops and all within a manageable budget.

We reason that we can paint the stairway hall easily. Replace that old kitchen linoleum with a new snap-in-place floor with no problem. Tear off and hang new wallpaper? Why, you and your partner can have it done in an afternoon.

But before you tackle a home improvement project, pause and give it some thought.

Warning signs

Having restrained myself from reupholstering my favorite armchair, I have compiled a list of the top 10 reasons why a home improvement project should not be in your immediate future. (Or, if you have started one already, signs that you may be over your head with the project.)

10. You’ve never been to the hardware store and don’t know where the lumberyards are.

9. The cost to rent or buy the tools needed to tackle the project is more than the cost to pay someone else to do it.

8. You’ll spend more time in the hardware store looking for parts (or traveling to and from the store) than you’ll spend on the project itself.

7. None of the parts listed in the project instructions sound familiar to you (see No. 6).

6. You are of a mind set that instructions are for novices and heaven knows you are not a home improvement rookie (see No. 7).

5. Power tools easily frighten you.

4. You don’t know the difference between a finishing nail and a common nail, a bolt and a screw, a file and a rasp.

3. Your bungling brother-in-law’s suggestions on completing the project are starting to make sense.

2. The project has a definite deadline for completion. For example, your home will be the site of the annual big event for your club, family or company.

1. The 20-minute job to replace the 79-cent part has now taken five hours, cost nearly $20 and required three trips to the hardware store. Worse yet, the project still isn’t done. Better call the repairman and cut your losses.

Find the payoff

On the serious side, many homeowners successfully tackle a variety of home improvement projects.

The American Homeowners Foundation a nonprofit consumer group serving America’s 72 million homeowners and future homeowners offers these practical tips:

Jot down what you love and hate about your home. You may love the ceramic tile on your kitchen backsplash but hate the cabinetry. That narrows your project from an entire kitchen remodel to cabinet refinishing.

Design ahead. Read up on the project, talk to friends with knowledge and experience with the type of project you’re considering, and get suggestions and references.

Allow plenty of time for the job. Remember Murphy’s law.

Don’t overimprove. This may be of less concern if you plan to remain in the home for a long time, yet it’s important if you’re remodeling to sell your home.

Some remodeling jobs such as a prudent overhaul of a very dated kitchen or the addition of a second bath can recoup more than 100 percent of their cost at the sale of the home and help you sell it faster. However, if you merely want a different look, you probably won’t recover the investment in a home that is already significantly more valuable than most in the neighborhood.

Be careful about financing. Seek the lowest possible rate, with tax-deductible interest. Only certain types of loans include an interest deduction, so check with an expert. In some cases, refinancing your mortgage can be the best bet.

Now, where did I put that “what-cha-ma-call-it?”

Carol Boncella is education coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and home and garden writer for the Journal-World.