DIY achieves one of two things:either a severely bruised thumb,or a warm sense of pride.And it seems,in light of the recession,there's a few more bruised thumbs and warm faces going on among homeowners up and down the UK:total sales at DIY supplies retailer B&Q were up 4.9 per cent in the run up to July,with more homeowners embracing DIY rather than paying costly tradespersons to perform tasks around the home.
And according to Homebuilding&Renovating editor Jason Orme,it's with good reason-because being able to maintain your home is a vital skill to have.
"Certainly in terms of managing and living in a home successfully,I think that you do need to be able to learn the basic tasks,"he said."It is the same as with a car-it can be very expensive if you don't actually understand the simple and easy-to-fix things."
But houses are way easier than cars-you can't hammer a nail into a five-door sedan,or give a compact a new lick of paint.And for that reason,homeowners need to be less hesitant in trying their hands at the easier DIY tasks and getting stuck in themselves.
"There are always going to be times when you need expertise,"says the expert,"but if you can deal with the basic day-to-day tasks of house management-putting up wallpaper and basic DIY-then you are not only going to save a lot of money,but are also going to feel a bit more like you are in charge of your own domain."
One of the easiest tasks you can perform around the home is fitting new,energy-efficient lighting.Switching out your traditional 60kW bulbs for something that uses less energy is the first step,but once you feel brave enough,you can shut off the power to your home and easily change your own fixtures for bathroom light fittings or switch old,warn light switches for shiny new dimmers.
