Over the years, interest in DIY projects has declined significantly, as more young UK homeowners live in properties that they rent, and not properties that they own. Renting makes it difficult to have the necessary sentiment to invest the time and energy that is required for a DIY project.
The DIY profile seems to have changed amongst homeowners too. Maplin conducted a DIY survey in 2013 where they found that about 93{80489f69d0b26025b74cecc274d3bc02e1d4bd0c4aa8acfc05273160dab5de6a} of home owners have conducted and are willing to conduct DIY activities on their home. Another survey done in 2015 by statista showed that only 65{80489f69d0b26025b74cecc274d3bc02e1d4bd0c4aa8acfc05273160dab5de6a} of UK homeowners were willing to conduct DIY activities on their home by themselves.
This drop in the interest of DIY activities can be attributed to a number of factors. However, John Carter, the CEO of Travis Perkins has his own theory about the drop. He says, ‘It was driven by the influx of Eastern European builders who were skilled and competent. They regulated prices and gave people a choice. The UK fell out of love with DIY from the peak when Changing Rooms and Ground Force shows were on TV.’
The different types of DIY projects.
DIY projects do not have to be grand renovations and brand new construction activities. There are several types of do it yourself activities, and they cut across different areas of day to day life- from fashion to electrical repair. However, nowadays, the mindset of people seem to be moving further away from major DIY activities to the more minor ones.
Many of the minor DIY activities include repairing clothes and unclogging minor blockages in sinks. While professionals can be hired to carry out these activities, people can save a lot of cash by reading up on the best techniques to do these minor repairs on their own- especially now when there are so many How-to videos and articles on the internet.
The Maplin survey also showed that about 43{80489f69d0b26025b74cecc274d3bc02e1d4bd0c4aa8acfc05273160dab5de6a} of people in the UK who engaged in DIY activities were involved in injury related to their DIY activities. These figures show that while DIY activities can save a good bit of cash, one might want to reconsider embarking on the bigger DIY projects- as out of the 43{80489f69d0b26025b74cecc274d3bc02e1d4bd0c4aa8acfc05273160dab5de6a} who reported being injured, 4{80489f69d0b26025b74cecc274d3bc02e1d4bd0c4aa8acfc05273160dab5de6a} of them had to go to the hospital.
Knowing what projects to take on, and which ones to drop.
Looking after one’s safety isn’t the biggest concern. However, as many of the construction based activities are actually building activities, this means that whatever is being done- from minor roofing repairs to window repairs, must agree with the building regulations of the area where the building is situated.
It has been seen that decorations, assembling furniture, bleeding radiators, filling wall cracks, and sealing droughts are minor projects that can be undertaken by almost anyone with the necessary tools and know-how. However, work that involves electricity and gas is usually left to the professionals as they could create bigger problems if done wrongly. Also, work that involves roofing and pipe replacement or repair are ignored due to the strict building regulations that regulate such activity, and professional help is usually well versed in these regulations. It can adhere to them with little effort.
