British men almost twice as likely to call in professionals to fix mistakes, costing £1,300 more than women.
It’s also not just millennials looking to YouTube videos for DIY inspiration and guidance, with over a quarter (28%) of people across all ages turning to the site for home renovation help. In fact people, are now more likely to consult a YouTube video than a qualified friend or family member (25%), a DIY store or DIY TV show (12%).
But there's a price to pay for not getting it right, with nearly £2,500 spent on average per person fixing DIY disasters. However a comparison of the genders reveals that men are nearly twice as likely (17%) than women (11%) to call in experts and contractors to fix their DIY disasters, costing on average £3,000 compared to the £1,700 spent by women.
The large sums paid by young adults in particular may be the result of 4 in 5 people under 24 having received no formal training or qualifications in home renovation; a figure which increases to nearly three quarters (84%) of people between 25 and 34.
Despite a distinct lack of formal training, young adults are still attempting more ambitious, large-scale or more complicated DIY work; including flooring (31%) bathroom refitting (17%), house extensions (11%), roofing (10%) and electrical or plumbing work (9%).
The recent warm weather has certainly kick started the DIY season, with nearly two thirds (63%) of Brits expected to carry out DIY projects over the next three months. Comparisons up and down the country reveal that those in London and the West Midlands appear to be the most haphazard, forking out £6,000 and £5,600 respectively on rectifying DIY disasters.
Cost for repairing DIY disasters across the UK
|
London |
£6,079 |
|
West Midlands |
£5,592 |
|
East Anglia |
£3,312 |
|
Northern Ireland |
£1,673 |
|
UK Average |
£2,428 |
|
North West |
£1,338 |
|
East Midlands |
£1,236 |
|
South East |
£866 |
|
Yorkshire and the Humber |
£832 |
|
Wales |
£825 |
|
South West |
£715 |
|
North East |
£625 |
|
Scotland |
£230 |
Drew Wotherspoon, Towergate Insurance, commented: “With the emergence of YouTube as a key educational resource, it’s understandable that people are naturally turning to video tutorials for guidance on DIY work. However, as our research shows, undertaking ambitious projects with little to no formal training can have serious repercussions financially.
“As well as coming with a hefty price tag to put right, often accidents and mistakes aren’t covered by standard home insurance policies. It’s crucial that when the DIY bug bites, homeowners take a good look at their policy exclusions and contact their insurer before they pick up tools and get to work”.
