DIY disasters cost homeowners £727 million per year

New research from home insurer Zurich has revealed that British homeowners spend £727 million on botched DIY every single year, while precious few turn to professionals for advice before attempting to work on their homes.

The research revealed some telling statistics regarding Britain’s DIY addiction. According to Zurich, 45% of Brits spent the May bank holiday carrying out DIY projects, and 32% of those turned to the internet for advice and instruction. There is a reluctance to turn to professional tradesmen when people feel they can do just as competent a job themselves, and yet the potential cost of a botched DIY job is considerable.

The majority of homeowners (75%) attempt DIY as a means to save money, but Zurich revealed that so-called ‘DIY fails’ cost an estimated £727 million per year. Only 11% of DIY enthusiasts turn to professional tradesmen for DIY advice or support, meanwhile, and even fewer (10%) turn to DIY and hardware stores for help.

As well as expensive DIY disasters can prove dangerous, with 21% of homeowners claiming to have injured themselves while attempting DIY projects. Zurich revealed that home insurance claims increase by 53% immediately after the May and spring bank holidays.

Hardware stores, builders’ merchants and DIY shops are in a unique position to prevent such DIY disasters from happening again. Have you ever considered offering a point-of-sale advice service for your DIY-addicted customers? Integrity Trader’s point-of-sale software for hardware stores can provide you with customer information regarding purchase history, credit limits and more, allowing you to get to know your customers on a more intimate level. Offering them DIY help and advice might mean that there are fewer DIY disasters in future.