New figures show that rescuing DIY disasters costs UK home owners an extra £42m a year. So what drives us to DIY over getting a professional in?
I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a fan of the odd DIY programmes. I used to love watching Changing Rooms while dreaming of having my own home where I could finally experiment with feature walls, have a go laying the odd bit of flooring, or even test out my upcycling skills.
But it would seem I’m not quite as handy as I’d like to think. I quickly found out that my painting skills are less than desirable. So with varying levels of paint thickness and interesting stripe patterns, my only option was to make an emergency call to a professional to patch it up.
Some of my friends are absolute DIY pros and put my handiwork to shame. But it would seem that I’m not the only one who has ended up spending out for repairs.
Fixing the fails
On average UK home owners spend an additional £42 million a year rescuing a DIY project gone wrong.
Our biggest blunders include terrible paint jobs (that would be me then) and self-installed kitchens and bathrooms, according to research by the Federation of Master Builders.
Around one in three DIY attempts end up calling in a tradesperson to finish the job. With projects costing an average of £871 more than if a professional had carried out the work in the first place.
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So what drives us to DIY?
Well it would appear that 55% of us turn to DIY over hiring a professional due to cost. But with 27% giving up on the project, which drags on for an average of 19 months, is it really worth it?
Cost is certainly a main driver for my DIY work, but I’m also keen on developing these skills too as someone who grew up around the trades. I may be fighting a losing battle, but my general rule of thumb is practice makes perfect. And at least I have a bit of fun along the way.
So have you had any DIY disasters? It may be that you’re pretty handy in this field, so what was your main driver for carrying out DIY?