DIY costs Britons millions

Posted: 15 Oct 2007 11:14:13 GMT

DIY has always been popular in the UK but new research shows that it can be a costly way of doing things.

DIY has always been popular in the UK but new research shows that it can be a costly way of doing things.

Halifax Home Insurance has revealed that the average DIY bodge-job costs homeowners around £484.

This, says the firm, equates to a repair bill of £350 million nationwide and much of the blame can be laid at the feet of popular home improvement television shows.

A total of 12 million people said that they were inspired to do some DIY after watching such a show.

"It all looks so simple on TV, making it easy to forget that the work on makeover shows is being carried out by highly trained and skilled professionals," said Vicky Emmott from Halifax.

"But if you don't know what you're doing we'd advise anyone planning any major improvements that DIY should really stand for Don't Involve Yourself."

"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," she continued.

Halifax recently revealed that 25 per cent of Britons who carried out home improvements in the last 12 months did so to increase the value of their property.

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