[smeej]

I run into the same thing with projects of many kinds.

If I want to do something like move a light fixture in my house, it seems like it should be fairly straightforward. Choose where I want the new one to be. Create hole. Move wires. Connect fixture.

But it only seems that simple because I'm ignorant. I have to install a new junction box, which requires having a joist nearby, or adding a cross-support between two. Am I going to need to move any insulation? What insulation do I even have? Is the existing wiring long enough, or in the right place, or am I going to have to replace it? And I need to pin the wires down every so often? What? How? Where? Where do I even find that info? And never mind patching the hole I'm leaving behind. It's not just eyeballing a drywall patch. I can't match the old texture of the ceiling, even if I thought it was plain. My patch is really noticeable. And on and on.

Unknown unknowns take what I thought was going to be a little afternoon project and turn it into asking all my friends for recommendations of people who aren't booked 6 months out and are willing to handle a tiny little project cleaning up after my ignorance.

Taking on projects before I even know what I don't know has gotten me into more trouble than just about anything else.

I've never nearly burnt my house down taking notes from a book and hiring a professional to do the actual work!