DIY Disasters Costing £350m 'Inspired By Television'

Around £350 million worth of damage has been caused in homes across the UK, by people trying to copy things they have watched on DIY shows, according to a recent survey.

The Halifax Insurance survey revealed around 750,000 people have caused damage to their properties, while trying to imitate improvements seen in home makeover shows, with each mistake costing an average of £484 to correct.


Also, an estimated 12 million people have been inspired to embark on a home improvement project after watching a home improvement show. This has cost an average of £4,880 each.

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 DIY should really stand for Don't Involve Yourself."

The report also revealed most people are likely to have tried to emulate something they saw on BBC One’s 'Changing Rooms', at 27 per cent followed by 22 per cent copying Channel 4’s 'Property Ladder' and 21 per cent from 'DIY SOS', on BBC.

(JM)