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Scottish Sun
02-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix
Scroll to see the list of the top 10 most botched DIY jobs FIX IT Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NEARLY five million Brits fear their DIY efforts will go pear-shaped this Bank Holiday - with £512 million potentially needed to put things right after an amateur cock up. A poll of 3,000 adults found 22 per cent plan to roll up their sleeves for some home improvements over the long weekend, but a worrying 41 per cent admit they've got zero confidence in their skills. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 With London taking the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, Ding has visited the capital to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend Credit: James Linsell-Clark/PinPep And when things go wrong, it costs an average of £106 a pop to fix a DIY disaster, according to the research. The top flops include fixing leaky taps (15 per cent), toilet flushes (13 per cent), and decorating mishaps (12 per cent). While others have botched bleeding a radiator (10 per cent) or mucked up repressurising a boiler (six per cent). It also found London takes the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, with the average person in the city fluffing four attempts in the past year, splashing out £162 to sort the damage. The research was commissioned by Ding, which visited major DIY stores in London to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend, and leave it to a trusted network of experts. Chris Houghton from the home repairs service, which is offering three months free for those sharing a picture of their DIY mishap on Instagram, said: 'We all love the idea of saving money by doing it ourselves – but as our research shows, DIY can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake. 'With so much being spent fixing botched jobs, it's clear that our efforts don't always lead to good results. 'That's why this bank holiday we're urging the nation to down tools and leave it to our expert engineers, giving them a well-earned break to relax." The biggest reason behind DIY disasters is a lack of know-how, cited by 31 per cent who have had a DIY faux pas. As a result, 22 per cent had to call in a pro to fix their mess according to the data. Others caused cosmetic damage (18 per cent), sprung a leak (13 per cent) – and five per cent even caused an electrical outage. We spent £70K transforming our 90s horror home into our Scandi-style dream pad but there's a bathroom mistake we deeply regret - don't do the same When it comes to Bank Holiday plans, painting the home (31 per cent) and sprucing up fences (17 per cent) are top of the DIY to-do list. While many are gearing up to pressure wash patios (13 per cent), put up shelves (13 per cent), or tackle a blocked gutter (13 per cent). Chris Houghton from Ding added: 'Our Toolbox Amnesty is designed to take the pressure off, and if you send us a picture of a previous DIY mishap, you could win three months free cover.'
The Sun
02-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix
NEARLY five million Brits fear their DIY efforts will go pear-shaped this Bank Holiday - with £512 million potentially needed to put things right after an amateur cock up. A poll of 3,000 adults found 22 per cent plan to roll up their sleeves for some home improvements over the long weekend, but a worrying 41 per cent admit they've got zero confidence in their skills. 1 And when things go wrong, it costs an average of £106 a pop to fix a DIY disaster, according to the research. The top flops include fixing leaky taps (15 per cent), toilet flushes (13 per cent), and decorating mishaps (12 per cent). While others have botched bleeding a radiator (10 per cent) or mucked up repressurising a boiler (six per cent). It also found London takes the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, with the average person in the city fluffing four attempts in the past year, splashing out £162 to sort the damage. The research was commissioned by Ding, which visited major DIY stores in London to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend, and leave it to a trusted network of experts. Chris Houghton from the home repairs service, which is offering three months free for those sharing a picture of their DIY mishap on Instagram, said: 'We all love the idea of saving money by doing it ourselves – but as our research shows, DIY can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake. 'With so much being spent fixing botched jobs, it's clear that our efforts don't always lead to good results. 'That's why this bank holiday we're urging the nation to down tools and leave it to our expert engineers, giving them a well-earned break to relax." The biggest reason behind DIY disasters is a lack of know-how, cited by 31 per cent who have had a DIY faux pas. As a result, 22 per cent had to call in a pro to fix their mess according to the data. Others caused cosmetic damage (18 per cent), sprung a leak (13 per cent) – and five per cent even caused an electrical outage. When it comes to Bank Holiday plans, painting the home (31 per cent) and sprucing up fences (17 per cent) are top of the DIY to-do list. While many are gearing up to pressure wash patios (13 per cent), put up shelves (13 per cent), or tackle a blocked gutter (13 per cent). Chris Houghton from Ding added: 'Our Toolbox Amnesty is designed to take the pressure off, and if you send us a picture of a previous DIY mishap, you could win three months free cover.'
The Irish Sun
02-05-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Millions of Brits are terrified of making a DIY blunder this Bank Holiday – with average disaster costing £106 to fix
NEARLY five million Brits fear their DIY efforts will go pear-shaped this Bank Holiday - with £512 million potentially needed to put things right after an amateur cock up. A poll of 3,000 adults found 22 per cent plan to roll up their sleeves for some home improvements over the long weekend, but a worrying 41 per cent admit they've got zero confidence in their skills. 1 With London taking the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, Ding has visited the capital to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend Credit: James Linsell-Clark/PinPep And when things go wrong, it costs an average of £106 a pop to fix a The top flops include fixing leaky taps (15 per cent), toilet flushes (13 per cent), and decorating mishaps (12 per cent). While others have botched bleeding a radiator (10 per cent) or mucked up repressurising a boiler (six per cent). It also found London takes the crown as England's DIY disaster capital, with the average person in the city fluffing four attempts in the past year, splashing out £162 to sort the damage. The research was commissioned by Ding, which visited major DIY stores in London to launch its Toolbox Amnesty, urging Brits to down tools over the bank holiday weekend, and leave it to a trusted network of experts. Read more DIY News Chris Houghton from the home repairs service, which is offering three months free for those sharing a picture of their DIY mishap on 'With so much being spent fixing 'That's why this bank holiday we're urging the nation to down tools and leave it to our expert engineers, giving them a well-earned break to relax." The biggest reason behind DIY disasters is a lack of know-how, cited by 31 per cent who have had a DIY faux pas. Most read in The Sun As a result, 22 per cent had to call in a pro to fix their mess according to the Others caused cosmetic damage (18 per cent), sprung a leak (13 per cent) – and five per cent even caused an electrical outage. We spent £70K transforming our 90s horror home into our Scandi-style dream pad but there's a bathroom mistake we deeply regret - don't do the same When it comes to Bank Holiday plans, painting the home (31 per cent) and sprucing up fences (17 per cent) are top of the DIY to-do list. While many are gearing up to pressure wash patios (13 per cent), put up shelves (13 per cent), or tackle a blocked gutter (13 per cent). Chris Houghton from Ding added: 'Our Toolbox Amnesty is designed to take the pressure off, and if you send us a picture of a previous DIY mishap, you could win three months free cover.' TOP 10 MOST BOTCHED DIY JOBS 1. Fixing a leaky tap 2. Fixing the toilet flush 3. Decorating (painting, wallpapering) 4. Unclogging a toilet 5. Fixing broken furniture 6. Building flatpack furniture 7. Putting up shelves 8. Unclogging a blocked sink 9. Hanging curtains or blinds 10. Bleeding the radiator
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Brits warned to leave DIY to the professionals this Bank Holiday weekend
A fifth of Brits plan to roll up their sleeves for some home improvements this coming weekend but experts warn it could come at a cost A survey of 3,000 adults has revealed that 22% are planning to undertake some home improvements this coming weekend. The top tasks on the list include painting, sanding and fixing leaks. According to the poll, 31% plan to paint their homes and 17% aim to spruce up fences over the Bank Holiday. Many Brits are also preparing to pressure wash patios (13%), put up shelves (13%), or deal with a blocked gutter (13%). However, it's concerning that 41% confess they have no confidence in their DIY skills. As a result, Brits fear their DIY efforts are likely to go wrong, potentially requiring £512 million in total to rectify any blunders. Brits estimate that it costs an average of £106 to fix a DIY disaster, according to the research. The most common mishaps include fixing leaky taps (15%), toilet flushes (13%), and decorating errors (12%). Some have even messed up bleeding a radiator (10%) or depressurising a boiler. The research suggests that the main cause of DIY disasters is a lack of knowledge. London has been crowned as England's DIY disaster capital, with the average person in the city botching four DIY attempts in the past year, costing them £162 to repair the damage. The study commissioned by home repairs service Ding, which recently launched its Toolbox Amnesty campaign in various major DIY stores across London, is encouraging Brits to take a break from their tools this bank holiday weekend and leave the work to trusted professionals. Ding is a new membership service from Homeserve that puts you within easy reach of trusted engineers to get your plumbing, heating or electrics jobs done. The company is offering three months of free service to those who share a photo of their DIY blunder on Instagram. Chris Houghton of Ding, shared: "With so much being spent fixing botched jobs, it's clear that our efforts don't always lead to good results." He noted that despite the appeal of saving money through DIY, it can often result in costing more to fix the mistakes: "We all love the idea of saving money by doing it ourselves – but as our research shows, DIY can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake." Houghton encourages Brits to put down their tools and enjoy a relaxing long weekend, leaving the work to the experts. According to data from 22% of people have had to call in a professional to fix their DIY disasters, which have resulted in cosmetic damage, leaks, or even electrical outages. Houghton added: "Our Toolbox Amnesty is designed to take the pressure off, and if you send us a picture of a previous DIY mishap, you could win three months free cover." TOP 10 MOST BOTCHED DIY JOBS: Fixing a leaky tap Fixing the toilet flush Decorating (painting, wallpapering) Unclogging a toilet Fixing broken furniture Building flatpack furniture Putting up shelves Unclogging a blocked sink Hanging curtains or blinds Bleeding the radiator
