[Deadhead]

I'm an 8-10 on house building. I do not do my own tile yet, but I do EVERYTHING else except HVAC units b/c I have no freon lic. I would say that if you are not a good trim guy and not into fine detail, you may struggle with tile. I have watched tile guys in effort to learn, and worked with them some. The whole thing looks to me to hinge on precision and detail. Skilled layout to make tiles break where they make sense, precise use of the wet saw, and the setting is just more of the same. If you are going to have any shower floors or areas with drains etc., that is a whole other level of skill required to slope and cut. No way a non-professional could get a good result on that IMO. If you are just going to do backsplashes or wall accents, then you have a good shot at getting a nice result doing it yourself. I would have no problem getting a nice result with that, but areas where it really counts like floors and showers are a different deal altogether. Basement slab maybe, but lots to get into there with crack abatement and uneven substrate.

I just bought a place that needs tile work in 2 bathrooms, and with all my skills, I am VERY RELUCTANT to take that aspect of the house on myself b/c a crappy or marginal tile job is butt obvious. Even with the tricks I have learned from pros that tempt me to do it, I will probably end up subbing it out in the end. Since it is the only aspect that is a ? for me, I have spent the last month trying to figure out a way to reduce the amount of tile via glass etc. Just my .02 after 3 decades of renovation experience and living my entire 49 years in a construction site.

The main advice I can give is that you really need to have a helluva base for your tile work. 2 layers of 3/4 ply on the floor with quality framing in the floor joist Dept. I threw additional joists under my tile areas in a house with floor trusses. Same goes for any curbs etc. Wood moves. masonry cracks. If you do not have a rock solid base, you are gonna have problems no matter how nice your tile job is.

If you're gonna just sell it anyway, then most buyers can't tell good work from crap anyway from the stuff I have seen sell, so maybe a good place to get your first chops. I think you just have to do it a bunch to get good at it. The main thing is having a good base so your work holds up.

Keep us posted on what you decide.