Don't BIY your DIY

Published 05th May 2007

Bodge it Yourself (BIY) Britons spend £½ billion fixing home improvement disasters each year, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

Halifax Home Insurance is warning Britons not to be a bank holiday bodger after its research found that 4.1 million bungling British households spend over £670 million each year fixing poorly executed BIY jobs.

And with 11 million households planning a grand design to their current property, totalling an estimated £153 billion in total to complete, at an average of £13,800 per project, the insurer is reminding homeowners not to tackle projects they are not qualified for.

Homeowners in the Midlands appear to be the worst at DIY spending some £272 million each year rectifying bodged DIY jobs. North of the border the handy Scots take the accolade of DIY champions only spending a lowly £4.6 million on DIY mistakes – costing an average of £146 each time.

Halifax Home Insurance’s senior manager of underwriting, Vicky Emmott, said: “Whilst well planned and executed home improvements can add significant value to a home, getting it wrong can be a disaster. We’d advise anyone planning any major improvements to their home to employ qualified and reputable tradesmen, rather than going it alone. Indeed trying to tackle certain areas that you are not qualified for, such as electrics or plumbing, could invalidate your home insurance and leave you liable for the cost of any subsequent damage.”

The insurer also says that many people would be totally exposed should they accidentally damage their home or contents whilst carrying out a DIY task because they don’t have any insurance to protect damage to their homes or possessions their home. Indeed research2 shows that 36% of homeowners in Britain do not have buildings insurance and 22 per cent have not purchased home contents insurance either.

According to the research the garden is the clear favourite area for a makeover - cited by one-in four of households. Bedrooms followed with 15 per cent, bathrooms and kitchens were next with 14 per cent each.

It would take an average spend of £17,320 to satisfy the average 'grand design' in the garden and £18,784 to bring the bedroom up to scratch. Those planning bathroom makeovers plan to spend a whopping £36,694 each - perhaps underlining the trend to invest in expensive luxury bathroom items such as Jacuzzis and wet rooms. In comparison, those with grand designs in the kitchen plan to spend a more modest £23,155.

Homeowners in the South East and Anglia would like to spend the most money improving their home with a grand design – with an average spend of £27,000 and £26,600 respectively. Those living in Wales and the West Country would like to spend least with an average of £3,733 per project.

By Jennifer Lowe

Source: ' What Mortgage '

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