02-05-2025
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
