However, new research has shown that very often, DIY doesn’t go according to plan for the nation.
With many UK adults looking into DIY-ing not just for fun, but perhaps to save some cash too, with the cost of living crisis biting, a new study by Selco Builders Warehouse investigated how much materials for popular DIY projects could cost Brits looking to tackle home renovations or repairs themselves, as well as how successful the nation is at home repair projects.
The cheapest DIY projects overall include fitting a light, where the material cost is around £44, fitting plugs or sockets (£74) and fitting a tap (£95).
On the flip side, and perhaps unsurprisingly, full kitchen and bathroom installations cost DIY-ers the most money, up to £583 and £762 respectively excluding any furniture, worktops or appliances.
Following closely are door fittings, which could Brits set back about £498, and wall installations (£488 just for materials).
The top five most expensive DIY projects:
1. Bathroom installation (around £760)
2. Kitchen installation (around £580)
3. Door fitting (around £450)
4. Wall installation (around £490)
5. Flooring (around £407)
Despite these being demanding, and in some cases fairly expensive projects, many Brits are trying to get these done themselves according to tradespeople. However, according to the study, the success rate isn’t the highest.
As part of the research, in fact, Selco Builders Warehouse also surveyed over 500 tradespeople to find out more about ‘DIY disasters’ across the country and found that 50.4% say jobs involving fixing ‘DIY disasters’ make up around a third of their call-outs.
33% of tradespeople said they have been called out for a failed kitchen installation, 32% have had to fix a botched attempt at flooring and 29% for a bathroom renovation gone wrong.
But for some, this is even more often. Over one in ten of the ‘tradies’ surveyed (11%) say up to two-fifths of their call-outs (around 40%) are to fix failed attempts at home improvement or DIY by their customers.
While the final bill of a ‘DIY disasters’ always depends on the scale of the project (and of the failure!), our survey has revealed that failed DIY jobs could cost Brits up to £75,000 to repair, with the ‘average’ failed job costing £2,000.
According to the tradespeople surveyed, some of the worst DIY Disasters they’ve had to fix included electric socket installations that caused a house fire, plumbing work for which joints were sealed with tape, brick walls built using neat cement as mortar, a load-bearing wall removed to create an open plan space, badly fitted kitchens with cupboards falling off the walls, fire exit doors that couldn’t be opened, kitchen cupboards hanging at an angle, and even doors hung upside down.
But when it comes to projects that the nation ‘fails’ at the most, according to the data, tap installations are the most common ‘DIY Disaster’, with 43% of tradespeople having been called out to fix this at least once.
Following closely are failed attempts at fixing pipework (41%) and installing new doors (34%).
Many Brits are even more adventurous with their DIY though, with roof repairs (33.3%) and full kitchen installations (33.1%) also appearing in the top 10 list of ‘DIY disasters’ that tradespeople have been called out to fix at least once.
Top 10 ‘DIY disasters’ that tradespeople have been called out to fix at least once:
1. Tap installation or repair (43%)
2. Pipework (41%)
3. Door fitting/hanging (34%)
4. Leaky roof repair (33.3%)
5. Kitchen installation (33.1%)
6. Tiling (32.6%)
7. Leaky radiators repair (32.4%)
8. Flooring (32%)
9. Lights fittings (31.6%)
10. Sockets or switches installation (31%)
And if you don’t have the right skills, DIY could turn out to be quite dangerous!
In fact, a recent analysis of NHS Digital data showed more than 5,600 people needed hospital care after coming into contact with a powered hand tool last year, while this was the case for 2,700 who had an accident with a non-powered hand tool like a saw or a hammer.
But heavy tools don’t necessarily need to be involved. Electrical work can be particularly dangerous, and as such it’s probably best to leave it to a professional as even small mistakes could have serious consequences like electric shocks and house fires. For anything to do with gas boilers or systems, you should always rely on a Gas Safe engineer (and make sure they’re registered!), as this comes with risks of gas leaks which should certainly not be underestimated.
Not only this but attempting complicated projects such as full bathroom installations or wall removals can create additional issues to the structure of the home or the wider systems. For large-scale projects such as bathrooms especially, plumbing installation can be very tricky. A wrong bathtub or shower installation can cause leaks or flooding, drainage problems, corrosion and water damage.
Carine Jessamine, Marketing Director at Selco Builders Warehouse, comments: “DIY is commonplace, but it’s not easy! There seems to be a growing interest in home renovation projects on social media at the moment, and many across the nation are trying their hand at various DIY projects in their homes.
“While smaller and less complicated projects can be quite easy and even satisfying to complete, our study has shown Brits often have to call out the professionals to fix home renovations or repairs they have tried but not succeeded at. This can not only turn out to be more expensive but could also mean longer delays to get your pipework fixed or your kitchen installed.
“Complicated renovations or installations could also be quite tricky, and dangerous to those who don’t have the correct skills, so sometimes, it’s best to just leave it to the professionals!”
