Bank Holiday DIY Disasters

22 Apr 2010

Bank Holiday weekends are often the start of the DIY season for many homeowners across the country as they roll up their sleeves and attempt their own home improvements. However, if you are an amateur DIYer, taking on these jobs yourself could end up costing you more in the long run - in fact it costs Brits £1.5 million a year to fix botched DIY jobs*1. Attempting to tackle challenging tasks where you do not have the skills to carry them out should be left to the professionals, avoiding additional 'fixing' costs as well as any serious DIY accidents - each year 200,000*2 DIY enthusiasts visit the hospital as a result of a home improvement accident.

Roman Russocki, Chief Executive of TrustMark said: "The Brits are a nation of DIY lovers and we have a great sense of pride in both our homes and the work we complete to improve them. However, we do strongly advise that you leave certain jobs to the professionals as attempting to complete them yourself could ultimately cause havoc on your finances as well as your safety."

TrustMark, the Government backed not for profit quality mark for tradesmen provides homeowners with easy access to thousands of reputable and reliable local tradesmen. Using TrustMark to find a qualified professional for those trickier jobs, such as plumbing and the electrics will ensure that you do not fall prey to a rogue tradesman and that the job is finished to your satisfaction and for a fair price.

Note for editors

*1 - Figure provided by YouGov survey (August 2009)
*2 - Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (April 2009)