E.ON and Jewson have been conducting some research into attitudes towards DIY by asking about DIY experiences (good and bad) and promoting their "buy 1 get 3 free" insulation offer at Jewson stores (subsidised by E.ON). They have loads of information and money saving tips on their related website, What's In Your Loft.
Not too long back we replaced the insulation in our loft, mainly because our house is so old that we can't have cavity wall insulation (the walls are too weak) and we are constantly looking for ways in which to keep the house warmer. And it's usually when we're wearing an extra layer of clothing and scrutinising the utilities bills that we think about ways in which to save money and energy.
I'm lucky in the fact that my husband does most of the jobs around the house; and if he can't turn his hand to something, he probably know's 'a man who can'. At the moment we have a list of jobs that we need to do but keep putting them off until we have better weather (for the outside painting) or until we have spare cash (for the inside jobs). Of course, the best plan would have been to arrange something for this week but, like more than a quarter of Brits (29%) we are unsure what we are doing this weekend.
I suppose we're a bit different too as we tend to tackle DIY together. We have the most horrendous rows when assembling furniture (maybe because Kev doesn't trust me to put something together like 74% of the men surveyed) but we know that I'm always right in the end... *ahem*. There's no way I'm admitting that I don't know what I'm doing and I'd like to have a stern word with the 55% of women surveyed that admitted that. I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR (whilst brandishing a screwdriver and a set of unreadable instructions). When we bought this house it needed renovating from top to bottom. We had a professional plumber and tiler in to refurb the bathroom but we ended up doing the kitchen ourselves after have a free plan and design create for us and buying the cabinets. It's probably our best work to date (click the pic to the right for before, during and after images).
So what happens in your house when it comes to DIY? Do you tackle it yourself or pick up the phone and give the local handyman a call? Have you had any major DIY disasters? What have you done in your house that you're most proud of?