20% OF THE UK GEARS UP FOR A DIY EASTER

According to a recent survey commissioned by waste removal company HIPPO, a fifth of adults in the UK plan to do DIY jobs this Easter. In fact, it seems the pandemic has made us a nation of home fixers as 29% of us are doing more DIY jobs than before. The survey revealed the following interesting statistics for the East of England:

·      COVID-19 has made us a nation of home fixers with 26% of people in the East of England now doing more DIY jobs

·      The garden is top priority for 47% of home improvers in the East of England

·      24% of people are planning the complete renovation of a room

·      On average, people in the East of England have three DIY jobs waiting to be completed

·       54% of women across the UK say they are responsible for making sure the jobs get done

·       24% of people delay DIY jobs due to lack of time and nearly 32% of us are put off by the cost

·      16% of people admit to putting their DIY waste in domestic bins, which goes to landfill

With over 24% of people delaying DIY jobs due to lack of time and nearly 32% of us put off by the cost, original Changing Rooms presenter Linda Barker, who completed a big DIY job on her kitchen during the lockdown, offers her advice for sticking to time and budget:

“It is all too easy for time and cost to escalate on DIY projects. My advice is to have a clear and detailed plan with generous time scales and realistic costs attached. Also, while money may not always stretch to paying an expert, it is important to know where your time simply isn’t worth the cost-saving. So, for example, it makes sense to hire a HIPPOBAG with collection rather than head to the tip yourself; or buy ready-painted skirting boards and save time on painstaking painting.

“Finally, I always recommend building in a contingency. With the best will in the world, DIY projects often overrun in terms of time and money. By keeping a buffer in your budget and allowing a little extra on time-scales, any unexpected surprises will already be accounted for. Better still, you might find that you’ve got a bit of time and money left over at the end to celebrate your new creation!”