‘Give up': The one task Gen Z homeowners can't do

News.com.au

15-05-2025

An Aussie woman and her partner have just bought their first home in Queensland – but what should be cause for celebration has turned into a major headache.
Maddison Smillie, 23, told her social media followers that she decided to 'give up' on a tricky renovation chore, to which many Aussies echoed her sentiments.
'We have decided to give up painting our own home,' she announced in a TikTok video.
'We just bought our first home and to save money we thought it would be a good idea to paint the house ourselves.'
'I'm here to tell you that it is not a good idea,' she said.
Amid the cost-of-living crisis it's become increasingly common for Aussies to undertake tasks usually done by professionals to save some cash.
In 2023, Aussies ranked third globally for their love of home renovation with over 57 per cent of Australians considered to be 'DIY-ers.'
A massive 44 per cent of respondents said their reason for doing the tasks themselves was to 'improve their home in a more affordable way.'
2022 saw Aussies put $12.3 billion into renovating their homes, up 33 per cent on 2020, reported the ABC.
Ms Smillie revealed they bought a two-storey house and had endeavoured to paint the top level first.
'We started the top-storey so we're going to finish that ourselves and then hire a professional to do the rest,' she said.
'The idea of painting your own home sounds good, but when you're actually doing it, it's tough work.'
She warned her followers that it's definitely a lesson learnt and that sometimes it's better to just hire a professional.
'I will in fact be putting this on my resume though,' she joked.
The clip, which has over 30,000 views, saw Aussies flood to the comment section to share her pain.
'I couldn't think of anything worse,' said one viewer.
'I'm a painter myself and I feel you,' added another.
'Painting is the worst. Especially the ceilings,' echoed a third.
Others pulled through with helpful suggestions for the couple.
'Dad's a painter by trade, don't hesitate to message and ask if you guys want to keep doing it yourself and need any advice,' offered one kind commenter.
'Nah, spend two days prepping and then buy a spray gun. takes you less than a day,' suggested one.
'We went to pay a professional until we were quoted $6k and then decided we'd suck it up,' said another.
In a separate video, Ms Smillie revealed she was 'so happy' with how the professional paint job turned out.