As an attorney, Stephanie Garrabrant-Sierra is no stranger to long hours, endless troubleshooting and reasoning her way through complex problems. Lately, though, she s finding that this type of work isn t confined to the courtroom. In fact, many of her toughest cases are taking place in the garage.

After years of shelling out for inflated mechanic bills, Garrabrant-Sierra decided it was time to start taking care of her Honda Prelude on her own. The Austin, Texas, resident was in the midst of trying to launch her own practice in a sputtering economy, and being at the mercy of her mechanic wasn t doing much for her budget. So she invested in some tools, arranged for one-on-one tutoring sessions with a local auto repair specialist, and now replaces fuses and changes batteries like a pro. Up next? Her first brake job. My husband is amazed, she says.

You ve heard it before: If you want something done right, do it yourself. With today s economy forcing just about everyone to pinch pennies in increasingly creative ways, it s no surprise more people are taking this old chestnut to heart. A recent survey from how-to Web site DoItYourself.com found that 44 percent of respondents say that because of the economy they are now more likely to try home-improvement projects on their own. Some are first-timers, shocked to find themselves holding a wrench, while others are longtime tinkerers now tackling bigger projects.

And this trend isn t just for the toolbox set. Products aimed at turning people into their own bean counters are booming (sales of Intuit s online TurboTax software jumped 36 percent last year), and courts around the country report more people doing without an attorney in everything from bankruptcy to divorce cases. Even doctors aren t immune to the new self-sufficiency, as cost-conscious snifflers increasingly turn to home remedies and cosmetic-treatment buffs seek ways to skirt costly in-office procedures DIY laser hair removal, anyone?

Until recently, do-it-yourself appeared to be going the way of the dodo. With technology stretching the old 9-to-5 into a never-ending workday, many people found it easier to spend a little extra for the convenience of professional help with things like, say, home repair. But in the wake of a recession, those expenses are often the first to go.

Not to mention, it only takes a few keystrokes to find step-by-step instructions and probably a YouTube video on how to pluck a chicken, solder a pipe or, as one desperate father-to-be famously discovered last year, even deliver a baby. Plus, the onset of amateur hour has given rise to its own cottage industry of consultants trying to cash in with how-to materials and services like TeachStreet, an online marketplace listing classes in various subjects like welding and veterinary care.

Of course, there s a reason the pros command the big bucks. As any experienced do-it-yourselfer can attest, every project has its share of surprises, and as the projects get bigger, so do the stakes. Unexpected consequences run the gamut from injury or faulty foundations to everyone s favorite threatening letters from the Internal Revenue Service.

In some cases, the DIY route even ends up costing people extra, as Daniel Herzner, an entrepreneur from White Plains, N.Y., found when he decided to economize by filing his own patent application. I thought, I taught myself how to program computers; I can do this, he recalls. With no legal background, Herzner did his best to understand the process but ended up making a simple paperwork error that raised the cost of his $435 application to $2,000. The result? He s hired a lawyer to chase down a refund.

So which projects are worth the trouble, and which are best left to the pros? To find out, we decided to take a look at America s latest adventures in DIY.

The New Do-It-Yourselfers:

• Intro
• Toolbox Adventures
• White-Collar Endeavors
• Health Care
• DIY Video Awards