Most tradespeople are spending a third of their working weeks reversing DIY disasters, with plumbing being the most frequent fix.

As homeowners are looking to save money by taking on tasks themselves, many are having to fork out more money in the end – £2k extra on average – when they have to call in an expert to fix their botched work.

This is according to a Selco Builders Warehouse investigation into how successful the nation’s home repair projects are, as well as how often professional builders, plumbers, electricians and other tradespeople are called in to save the day when DIY projects ‘go south’.

It found out that for the majority of tradespeople (50.4%), fixing ‘DIY disasters’ now makes up around a third of their call-outs. Failed attempts at tap installation are the most common ‘DIY Disaster’, with 43% of tradespeople having been called out to fix this at least once. 

A third (33%) have been called out to sort a failed kitchen installation, and 29% have sorted a bathroom renovation that didn’t turn out as planned.  

DIY disaster list looks like this:  

1.  Tap installation or repair (43%)  
2.  Pipework (41%)  
3.  Door fitting / hanging (34%)  
4.  Leaky roof repair (33.3%)  
5.  Kitchen installation (33.1%)  
6.  Tiling (32.6%)  
7.  Leaky radiators repair (32.4%)  
8.  Flooring (32%)  
9.  Lights fittings (31.6%)
10. Sockets or switches installation (31%)  

Carine Jessamine, marketing director at Selco Builders Warehouse, says: “DIY is commonplace, but it’s not easy! There seems to be a growing interest in home renovation projects on social media at the moment, and many across the nation are trying their hand at various DIY projects in their homes.   

“While smaller and less complicated projects can be quite easy and even satisfying to complete, our study has shown Brits often have to call out the professionals to fix home renovations or repairs they have tried but not succeeded at. This can not only turn out to be more expensive, but could also take time to sort as many tradespeople have long waiting lists. Our advice… leave it to the professionals!”