Brits are having to fork out £4.4billion every year for the cost of bodged DIY jobs.
Home and Garden on Female First
New research from Allianz Your Cover Insurance reveals that over the Easter bank holiday more than a third of DIY-ers will dust off their paint pots and power drills and get stuck into home improvements. For 10 per cent of Brits DIY will end in disaster and cost them each an average of £166 to put right damage they've caused - from spilling paint to breaking windows.
The study shows household belt tightening has forced Brits to take on more jobs around the home over the last 12 months - but that means more can go wrong. And men are bigger bodgers than women, causing around £30 more damage than their other halves.
Despite being left with a large repair bill, over half of Brits rate their DIY skills as either 'good' or 'excellent'.
Andy James of Allianz Your Cover said: "Our research reveals that nearly a third of those surveyed have been doing more DIY over the past 12 months and 86 per cent said they couldn't afford to pay professionals or were just trying to save money. Unfortunately a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing so people should check they have adequate insurance to cover DIY damage so it doesn't cost more in the long run."
Brits top five DIY disasters are:
1. Spilling paint/glue2. Damaging a wall
3. Breaking a window
4. Breaking furniture
5. Damaging a ceiling
Andy James continues: "Considering the amount of damage they are causing in the process of DIY, over a quarter of Brits didn't even consider claiming on their home insurance which could have helped them to cover the cost. A further 30 per cent could have but didn't claim on their insurance and only three in 10 Brits did decide to claim on their home insurance for DIY damage in the last year. We urge DIY enthusiasts to speak to their insurers to ensure they have the right level of cover in place to avoid their pockets being harder hit should they have a DIY disaster."
The research also reveals that younger DIY-ers are doing significantly more work around their homes as over a third of 18 to 24 year olds have taken on more home maintenance over the last year,compared to just 24 per cent of 45 to 54 year olds.