90 per cent of tradespeople report a rise in call outs to fix or finish off botched DIY jobs
Homeowners spend an estimated £539 million a year employing tradespeople to fix DIY jobs that have gone awry. On average, it cost homeowners £919 to get a professional tradesperson to fix or finish their botched DIY attempts, reveals new research from Direct Line business insurance.
The vast majority (85 per cent) of tradespeople believe the surge in people taking on ambitious DIY projects is due to the rise of ‘do it yourself’ videos on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Over half (57 per cent) of homeowners who have attempted DIY claim they were influenced by media or social media channels to take on the task.
One in five homeowners who have attempted DIY (18 per cent) admit to having been only partially successful. Of those who failed in their efforts, almost a quarter (22 per cent) had to call in a professional to fix the job and nearly one in ten (nine per cent) reported they made the thing they were trying to fix much worse. Almost half (47 per cent) admitted that their DIY project failed because they lacked the necessary skills to complete it, while 40 per cent said it was a larger job than they had anticipated.
Unsurprisingly, 90 per cent of tradespeople surveyed say they have noticed a rise in calls from people who need help from a professional to fix or finish a botched DIY project. Half of tradespeople (50 per cent) say that they get called to the rescue at least twice a week, averaging almost 100 a year.
Home improvement projects are incredibly popular with 82 per cent of homeowners taking on DIY in the last two years. The most popular DIY home renovation tasks include stripping paint and painting (55 per cent), putting up fittings (42 per cent), landscaping / fencing (38 per cent), wallpaper stripping / papering (31 per cent) and plumbing (25 per cent).
Jonny McHugh, Head of Small Business Insurance at Direct Line, said: “The popularity of social media, especially DIY content and home improvement tutorials, has resulted in a false sense of DIY confidence amongst some homeowners. Tradespeople take years to learn their craft and while something may look easy on social media, it is often far from it. Anyone taking on DIY should consider the limit of their skills and whether it would be better to call in the professionals to ensure the job is done properly and with the right tools in the first place.”
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