subject: DIY mistakes cost UK homeowners £235 million last year [print this page] DIY mistakes cost UK homeowners 235 million last year
Research came out earlier this year that suggests UK homeowners spent a staggering 235 million last year just on fixing their own DIY disasters. The research was extrapolated from a survey run by Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks on 2000 members of the public. A key outcome was the suggestion that as many as 1 in 10 of us botched a DIY job and spent up to 500 on reparations as a result.
In addition to this, approximately 5 million UK homeowners attempted a home improvement such as plumbing or decorating that resulted in them having to pay out to get their own work fixed. This may well be an outcome of the general decline in practical education in schools and the continuing emphasis on university education, and some have argued thusly. This is, to some extent, supported by the finding that just under one third of London residents stated they had, during last year, attempted DIY and had the job go wrong for them. Not only that, but Londoners as a whole were less likely to even attempt DIY than any other geographical group in the country.
Interestingly, only around a quarter of the people who had had to pay up for their DIY mishaps wished they had never made the attempt. This seems somewhat incongruous to the extra expense and, presumably, time and hassle involved as it means a majority of three quarters of UK householders who have experienced DIY mishaps would rather persevere with their own DIY no matter how wrong it ends up. A risky proposition, you may well agree. It would definitely appear as though many people do agree, as each year a massive 14 million households skip the hassle and expense by simply hiring a tradesman to carry out the work for them.
Hiring someone with years of experience and knowledge has never been a bad idea, but it is important to make sure whoever you do hire is properly qualified and accredited. All tradesmen should have undergone relevant training, so for example, you would expect a plumber to have undertaken extensive plumber training courses and be fully accredited by the relevant certifying bodies. Any tradesmen who do not satisfy you that they know what they are doing, probably don't, so be wary!
