Dodgy Home DIY Jobs Could Cost You £20 000 to Fix

• Knocking down a wall could have catastrophic financial consequences - £20,000 plus to be exact!
• The second priciest dodgy DIY job is wiring electrics with potential costs of £2,000 plus
• Fitting new flooring is another popular DIY project inciting hefty costs to fix - £1,200!

 

According to Google trends, there was a 59% and 21% increase* in search volumes for house DIY during the first and second lockdowns. What’s more, it’s reported that 61% of homeowners have carried out a DIY project during lockdown and with a lack of knowledge, failed reparations could be monetarily devastating.

 

HomeHow.co.uk asked 3,142 households what projects they have undertaken, and with the consultation of construction experts, KielMur Construction, they discovered just how much dodgy DIY jobs could cost homeowners.

What DIY Jobs Have Been Performed During Lockdown?

 

DIY Job	DIY Job Issues	Potential Repairs Required	Potential cost
Knocking down a wall	Poor structure/potentially very dangerous	Call out a structural engineer to see if the wall was structural - house could fall down	£20,000.00
Electrics - wiring	Poor finish	Rewire the system	£2,000.00
Fitting flooring	Poor finish	Refit	£1,200.00
Heating - fixing radiator	Radiator not working/leak	Fit new radiator	£450.00
Painting a room	Poor finish	Repainting of room	£450.00
Tiling - walls	Poor finish	Cracked tiles, new fit	£450.00
Fix broken windows	Poorly fitted - escaped heat	Refit window	£400.00
Gas - fix boiler	Boiler not working	Fix/refit	£400.00
Gas - fix hobs on the stove	Further damage to the appliance	New stove to be fitted	£350.00
Plumbing - installing a new sink	Issues with leaking/Cold and hot water wrong way	Fix/refit	£350.00
Plumbing - installing a new toilet	Not working/leak	Fix/refit	£300.00
Gutter cleaning	Potentially dangerous/Bacteria infection	Professional fix	£250.00
Electrics - light fitting	Fitted incorrectly	Trip the fuse board	£70.00

 

The Most Costly DIY Jobs to Rectify!

The priciest DIY job to rectify is knocking down a wall. DIYers should always call in an expert to determine whether the wall they intend to knock down is structural. This issue could cost homeowners well over £20,000 for a professional to sort out due to the possibility of the house collapsing - in comparison to a free quote. 

 

The second most costly DIY job to fix is electrical wiring - it could cost more than £2,000 to rewire in addition to being extremely dangerous. If this job is done to an inadequate standard, an electrician may have to be called out to rewire the entire house system! Examples of poor wiring include frayed wires, loose connections, and excessive heat.

 

Fitting flooring isn’t as easy as it looks and if done incorrectly, it may cost around £1,200 to refit. Floor surfaces can look rough and uneven when materials like nails and glue are left behind, which also decreases longevity.

 

Experts at MyJobQuote.co.uk discovered that a staggering 35% of heat in the home is lost due to a lack of glazing on windows and with the winter weather, reducing escaping heat is imperative. A popular DIY project to maintain heat in the house is fixing a leaking radiator, but if done incorrectly a new unit may need to be replaced - this could cost around £450.

 

Moreover, repainting places fourth with a hefty price of £450 per room. There are so many determinants to painting a room correctly and with an untrained eye, these issues can be missed. This DIY project not only provides a visually appealing environment, but it also produces a shielding coat that will preserve an interior and exterior surface from weather damage and insects. 

 

Tied in fourth place with fixing a radiator and repainting is tiling walls. Cracked tiles are a common example of a poor finish, as well as bumpy grouting, and could cost homeowners £450 to fix. The expense covers new materials and labour charge, so it is best to get it right the first-time round! 

 

Lisa Evans at HomeHow.co.uk commented: 

 

“DIY is certainly the cheaper way of getting a home improvement job done - until they go wrong, that is. During lockdown, we have all had extra time to stare at our home interiors and it can be compelling to want to redecorate/fix various aspects of our home ourselves. However, when these DIY projects go wrong it is usually money-draining as well as time-consuming to rectify. Although more expensive in the short run, hiring a professional to carry out small and big renovations will most definitely be cheaper in the long run with a reduced chance of big mistakes”.

 

-

 

Methodology:

1. HomeHow.co.uk surveyed 3,142 households on the DIY projects they have undertaken in lockdown, as well as finding out their home location.
2. They then consulted with construction experts KielMur Construction to find out an estimation of potential costs and reparation needs if DIY jobs are carried out to a poor standard.  

 

*HomeHow.co.uk analysed Google Trends between the dates of 22nd March to 18th April (59% increase) and 1st November to 5th December (21% increase).

 

We really hope you find this release useful. If you do end up using it, we would very much appreciate a link to https://www.homehow.co.uk/ who commissioned the data. A linked credit allows us to keep supplying you with future content that you may find useful.