Definitely try it yourself just go slow until you get the hang of it.A few quick tips....Check the thickness of your floors, I have had several old homes that used a very thin hardwood.

Instead, it is much better to roll up your sleeves, and diligently hunt for the right deal, be highly selective to make sure you buy a great deal, force appreciation if at all possible, and get in such that you can stay in through thick and thin if you need or choose to ... this will open up multiple exits and tilt the odds in your favor ... heads you win big, tails you win a little, but the house always wins and you're the house ... if you are unable to stack the deck in your favor then the best thing to do is not play the game until you learn enough to from those that do ... people sometimes say that going for appreciation is speculation and if you get it it is only because you are lucky ...

I chose to spend $8k cash on it (for a 20 year fix) within the first 6 months because I was getting thick sheets of ice down my exterior door (in the winter) from bad gutter systems.Additionally, do you have enough W2 income to help you get loans?

It requires some very thick skin.

Maybe burst pipes or worse.A colleague of mine's first rehab had ceiling fans which looked like upside-down tulips and the mold was inches thick on the walls.

It all depends on how thick you put the paint on. 

(Color, Thickness etc..)What is best place to buy laminate?

Save both of your time.Let the inspector be the bad guy when he creates a 2 inch book with what is wrong with the house.You grab that 2 inch thick book, hold it up so the seller sees how thick it is.You tell the seller, "(Name), I'm your new best friend.

 :)  And it just so happens my shop is in the thick of all of it!

And what thickness should it be?