Don’t Try This at Home: The botched DIY jobs that are best left to the professionals

Fixing leaks, plumbing, changing taps and decorating are the most common botched jobs that tradespeople are called out to fix
For 70% of Brits, ‘saving money’ is the reason for attempting a task themselves instead of calling a professional
Trade experts expect botched jobs to add between £100-£500 onto a job’s price
68% of Brits surveyed said that they have attempted to fix something at home before hiring a professional.

That’s according to new research from Toolstation, who surveyed both tradespeople and the general population to find the most common botched DIY jobs that tradespeople are called out to fix. Toolstation then spoke to plumbing and gas, heating, and plaster experts for advice on what shouldn’t be tried at home and why.

The leading motivation to try a job yourself before calling a professional is to cut costs (70% of the general population said this) and a further 74% of tradespeople also agreed.

The top five most common botched jobs

Fixing leaks
Jamie, owner of Billabong Plumbing & Gas Services, said:

“When money is tight, people will often resort to attempting plumbing jobs themselves to save money, but it can end up costing them more in the long run.”

“They then have to pay for my time to correct the problem, replacement parts and the cost to repair the damage, which is a lot more expensive than paying me to do the job in the first place.”

Plumbing in appliance
Jamie also said:

“The most common jobs people attempt include fitting their own radiators, plumbing in taps, and installing electric showers. But when these jobs go wrong it often results in leaks and water damage, which is when I get a panicked call from a customer asking for help.”

Plumbing in bathrooms/ kitchens
Lorenzo, heating engineer, states:

“I am often called by people who have had a go at plumbing in a toilet in a downstairs loo. I think because it is seen as a small job and there are lots of YouTube tutorials, people feel confident having a go. The issues usually arise if they haven’t got the correct tools or an understanding of how a toilet functions.”

Changing taps
A spokesperson from Toolstation explains:

“If you’ve spent £100 on new taps and make a mistake fitting them yourself, you’re going to have to pay around another £110-£130 for a professional to fix the problem, and that’s if the issue is just with the taps. Attempting to fix it yourself could mean doubling the cost compared to if you just called a plumber in the first place.”

Painting and decorating
Ollie, plasterer, said:

“I get called out for botched plastering jobs and sometimes this adds another day of work on top to have to re-prep the area and remove anything that they have done already. This adds roughly £150-£200 to the job.”

70% of botched DIY jobs happen in a bid to cut costs

Although people are trying to cut costs at home, having to call out a professional to fix a botched job could end up costing more. In fact, four in ten trade experts expect a botched job to add between £100-£500 on top of the original price of the job.

A botched job may force a tradesperson to undo all of the damage done before starting again. Toolstation spoke to plasterer Ollie, who said:

“I get called out for botched plastering jobs and sometimes this adds another day of work on top to have to re-prep the area and remove anything that they have done already. This adds roughly £150-£200 to the job.”

For the extra time and money that botched jobs cost clients, it may be better to hire a professional in the first place if you are planning a project that requires technical skills and knowledge, or at least seek advice before attempting a job yourself.

Jobs involving water, electricity and gas should be avoided by those that don’t have the experience, tools, or knowledge levels necessary to do the job. Jobs like this come with huge risks if done incorrectly and so they should be left to those who know exactly what they are doing.

Other findings from the study:

30% of our trade experts stated that they fix mistakes at least monthly, sometimes even more frequently. 6% reported having to fix botch jobs at least once a week.

Experts warn against jobs involving water, electric and gas the most – these can lead to the most damage if done wrong.
Half of trade experts turn down botched jobs due to the state of the job at hand. 7 in 10 worry that other unexpected problems will arise.