5 DIY mistakes that could cost you £25k
Save yourself time and money by avoiding these rooky home maintenance errors
Research shows that 54% of Brits say they’re capable of DIY, although just 9% of these refer to themselves as ‘very’ capable.
Whichever camp you fall into, it can be tempting to save money by tackling home maintenance jobs yourself. Certain jobs, however, should be left to the professionals, and with good reason – botched DIY attempts at tile grouting, plumbing and structural work can be incredibly costly and cause further issues in other parts of your home.
Josh Jinks, Brand Manager at UltraTile shares the jobs you should be leaving to the experts, and discover the reality of the costs you could incur if you attempt them yourself.
DIY mistakes: Roofing Work
Fixing a leaking roof sounds easy, right? Simply patching up the hole and applying new tiles sounds like it could be simple, but if you get it wrong you can end up paying a small fortune.
One single, poorly fitted tile could lead to water ingress, mould and damp, and if your replacement tile comes loose, it could knock any adjacent tiles. As a result, this would then leave huge chunks of your roof exposed.
Possible repair costs:
- Replacing a few slipped tiles (£500-£2,000)
- Full roof repair (£5,000-£12,000)
- Water damage from leaks (£2,000-£5,000)
DIY mistakes: Tiling or grouting
This is another home job that Brits up and down the country try, and inevitably fail, to get done properly which leads to thousands of pounds worth of repairs.
Common tiling mistakes can include laying tiles unevenly, using the wrong tile adhesives, or forgetting to waterproof a wet room altogether before applying tiles and adhesives.
The result? Water ingress, damp, structural damage and more, all of which can easily spread from your bathroom to the rest of your house.
This can cause long-term issues that won’t just go away – add the cost of fixing this onto replacing the tiles and you could be looking at up to £15,000 of repairs.
Possible repair costs
- Removing and retiling a bathroom (£3,000-£6,000)
- Repairing water damage from a leaking shower (£5,000-£10,000)
DIY mistakes: Rewiring your home
Now this is one job you should absolutely leave to the professionals – wiring your home correctly and safely needs a professional level of insight.
Electrical mistakes are incredibly costly to put right and will likely require significant redecorating work, too.
Expect rewiring a single room to take at least two days of an electrician’s labour, with entire homes taking up to two weeks and costing a significant amount.
If you want to save on this job, try tackling the redecoration yourself after the professionals have been in.
Possible repair costs
- Rewiring a room (£2,000-£5,000)
- Full house rewiring (£5,000-£15,000)
- Fixing electrical fires (fire restoration can cost £10,000+)
DIY mistakes: plumbing disasters
Despite what you might have heard, plumbing is not a simple task.
Homeowners up and down the country have found themselves in an expensive hole after attempting plumbing jobs themselves; including installing a bathroom themselves, moving pipework or adjusting their central heating.
Like failed grouting, DIY plumbing disasters will usually mean that water ends up in places where water isn’t supposed to be – think leaking, sagging ceilings, damp, mould and more, it’s simply not worth the hassle.
Possible repair costs
- Repairing leaks and water damage (£2,000-£10,000)
- Replacing flooring, plastering and redecorating (£5,000-£15,000)
- Severe cases: structural damage and rot (£10,000-£20,000+)
DIY mistakes: removing a load-bearing wall
Home improvement shows make this seems so simple: just knock the wall through and you’ll transform two lifeless rooms into an airy, open-plan kitchen/diner.
You might be surprised how many of us will blindly follow what they’ve seen on screen without doing the necessary due diligence.
Often, we hear cases of people who have knocked down load-bearing walls to find that it actually plays a key part in the structure of their home. Suddenly they’re having to deal with cracked plaster, sagging ceilings and more.
Before you know it, huge amounts of work are required to re-strengthen the structure of the house by reinstalling steel beams.
All of this could be avoided by simply leaving the job to the professionals. Don’t even attempt this one!
Possible repair costs
- Structural engineer assessment (£500-£1,500)
- Installing a steel beam (£3,000-£10,000)
- Rebuilding the wall (£2,000-£5,000)
- Plastering, electrics and decoration (£1,000-£3,000)
DIY work is a great way to upgrade your home without breaking the bank, however it’s best to leave some of the bigger jobs to those with the relevant training and experience. This will lead to a more efficient completion of work, and less stress and expense for you in the long run.
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