We’ve all been there – faced with the prospect of a huge bill for home repairs and improvements, we bust out the Black & Decker and a few paintbrushes… Sometimes, however, this results in a mess and, you guessed it, a huge bill for repairs to the repairs.
More than a third of UK homeowners end up unhappy with the results of a DIY project, according to tradespeople portal Plentific.com, and wish they’d just gone straight to the pros.
Most often, the projects are small to start with, but end up, ahem, growing and costing more than they would have done in the first place!
The youngsters are the worst culprits
Plentific found that it’s mainly the younger generation – aged 18-34 – that has the most DIY regrets. This is probably because they are newer to owning and maintaining properties and don’t have the necessary skills, equipment or experience to complete the job.
Regional regrets
While homeowners up and down the country have DIY regrets, the most rueful are in Newcastle and Norwich, where 47% and 45% wish they’d never started that job. Londoners fare a bit better, with just 40% wishing they’d left the tools in the shed.
Mancunians don’t seem to have these problems, though, with just 23% of them DIA (doing it alright) and feeling happy with their efforts.
It’s worth the extra cost
There’s no denying that calling in the professionals to do the plastering or putting up those custom shelves is more expensive than getting the materials and tools, but you can be sure that the job will be done right first time. It’ll also last longer and, most likely, look better.
This is especially important if you’re planning to sell your property in the near future, as even fairly good DIY jobs can stand out as just that. Potential buyers will see the jobs you did yourself and may well ask for a reduction in the asking price if they feel they’ll need to get it fixed or improved after they’ve moved in.
