Don't Involve Yourself

[GazTech]

[B]DIY disasters 'cost £350m'[/B]

1 day ago
Britons have collectively caused £350 million worth of damage to their homes trying to copy things they saw on DIY television shows, a survey has shown.
Around 750,000 have damaged their properties while trying to emulate improvements seen on home makeover shows, with each mistake costing an average of £484 to put right, according to Halifax Home Insurance.
An estimated 12 million people have been inspired to embark on a home improvement project after watching one of the shows, with homeowners splashing out an average of £4,880 each.
People are most likely to have tried to copy something they saw on BBC One's Changing Rooms, at 27%, followed by Channel 4's Property ladder, at 22%, while 21% have tried to emulate something from DIY SOS, the BBC show in which DIY disasters are put right.
Vicky Emmott from Halifax Home Insurance said: "It all looks so simple on TV, making it easy to forget that the work on makeover shows is being carried out by highly trained and skilled professionals.
"But if you don't know what you're doing we'd advise anyone planning any major improvements that [B]DIY should really stand for Don't Involve Yourself."[/B]

[Grace'sDad]

I'm starting a "repair" job this week on a DIY'd kitchen floor. Self leveller and B&Q's finest adhesive have been combined with the greatest of intentions and the minimum of skill to create a lumpy broken mess! I'll post some pictures next week - discretely though, so as not to embarass the owner if he should be looking!

Interestingly, I have a friend who used to sort out transport for one of the makeover shows - changing rooms - he said that the finished quality of the work is really poor and is often touched up again after filming if the team have time. If not, as was the case on a house in Lancaster then the homeowners are left with a "Monet" job - looks great at a distance, but up close is a total mess

[Dave]

Good post gaz mate...........dave..

[Fekin]

I wonder if im on that statistic

[Smitten]

I can easily understand how home owners can feel that something they saw on television looks simple enough to try at home. And without enough knowledge of house structure they can easily cause big problems.

Looking at my own kitchen floor - old and ugly - could surely use leveling and a new tile job - however, being a very old house, I realize that the back of my entire house is sinking from the foundation giving the kitchen a 2" slope. Leveling the kitchen floor and tiling it would only be a temporary cosmetic fix that would crack as the foundation continues to do what it is doing.

First priority ought to be hiring a professional to slowly raise the back end (from beneath) to where it is level.
THEN a new kitchen floor would be worth the investment.

I wonder if these "Trading Spaces" type television shows actually take structural issues into consideration before they work their "magic".

P.S. I'm not planning to raise the house until next year. So the ugly kitchen will have to make do!

[Dave]

hope that project doesn't cost you a fortune there smitten..sounds like a big job..........dave..

[365drills]

I think the problem with broadcasters is they try to make watchable TV but sometimes forget (or choose to ignore) the real life implications of how much time it takes to do DIY and especially preperation time.

But they have a duty of care to ensure broadcasts give a realistic portrayal of the sequence of project events so the viewer is able to understand the implications of doing it .

But too often (as the article suggests) people watch a program and believe the outcome will be as simple as that shown on broadcast.

What a shame real life is not like a make-over program. It took me five years of hard graft to rebuild my home into something decent to live in. And so I know first hand just how time consuming the actual preparation of a space takes. And I am sure you do too.

The reality is people have to juggle work, children, living, holidays etc so that the number of spare hours available are very small to the average man and woman. Creating elegant spaces to live in is actually bloody hard work and TV should at least address the issue.

[Dave]

If only it was that simple richard..dont think they ever will do you.........dave..

[ryanbrown]

..and if a monet exhibition is on show anywhere near you - don't pay to go in - keep a safe distance and admire throught the window lol.

[stumac]

Originally Posted by Smitten

I can easily understand how home owners can feel that something they saw on television looks simple enough to try at home. And without enough knowledge of house structure they can easily cause big problems.

Looking at my own kitchen floor - old and ugly - could surely use leveling and a new tile job - however, being a very old house, I realize that the back of my entire house is sinking from the foundation giving the kitchen a 2" slope. Leveling the kitchen floor and tiling it would only be a temporary cosmetic fix that would crack as the foundation continues to do what it is doing.

First priority ought to be hiring a professional to slowly raise the back end (from beneath) to where it is level.
THEN a new kitchen floor would be worth the investment.

I wonder if these "Trading Spaces" type television shows actually take structural issues into consideration before they work their "magic

P.S. I'm not planning to raise the house until next year. So the ugly kitchen will have to make do!

save yourself a fortune and do it yourself seen it on tv dead easy