And finally… A third of Scots ‘can’t do DIY without help’

JJ Roofing DIY GainingAs we approach the time of the year when we begin to dust off our toolboxes and get spring cleaning, a recent nationwide survey suggests that quite a few Brits will be struggling to clear their outstanding DIY task lists this year.

Conducted by JJ Roofing Supplies, the survey quizzed Brits about how many DIY tasks they do on a yearly basis and which tasks they are most comfortable tackling around the house.

The majority of those living in Scotland only do 2-3 DIY projects a year, while nearly 15 per cent attempted to do DIY over 10 months ago – so much for spring cleaning? Out of those surveyed in Scotland 34 per cent of locals said they can do small DIY tasks but with help, while 27 per cent said they’ve had at least one DIY disaster.

The most common DIY disasters for Scots seems to be ruining house décor with 11 per cent of locals said they had incidents of wallpapers falling off and leaving holes in walls while attempting DIY projects. It’s not surprising that 35 per cent of locals have paid someone to do their painting and decorating for them.



It seems Scots are not the only ones struggling with DIY this year, over half of the respondents living in the South West of England would rather guess how to do DIY than ask a family member, 30 per cent of Scots also admitted to guessing how to do DIY. However over a quarter of respondents from Scotland said they feel embarrassed when having to ask for DIY help, while 27 per cent admitted that they learn how to do DIY by watching YouTube!

With the average Brit stating that they have 4 outstanding DIY tasks around the house, what tasks are Brits most comfortable tackling around the house?

It looks like residents from Scotland have mastered the art of plastering as 73 per cent more respondents said they can plaster compared to the 12 per cent of respondents from Wales that said they can do plastering. It seems one struggle that Scots are facing when it comes to DIY is bleeding radiators as 69 per cent of people said they can do this compared to 80 per cent of respondents from Wales.

It seems South West comes to its own when it comes to labour driven tasks as nearly a quarter of respondents said they know how to do bricklaying compared to only 12.50 per cent of Scots who seemed comfortable doing this task. It seems Scots also have a bit of struggle with the smaller tasks like changing lightbulbs, 88 per cent of Scots thought it was an easy DIY task but it was still lower than South West and Wales where over 90 per cent of respondents said they can change a lightbulb.



Can Scots do DIY? It seems 18 per cent of Scots don’t own a tool box and a further 37 per cent think DIY is a dying trait, maybe hiring someone else to do your DIY is the way forward. At least it might help the 43 per cent of Scottish folk from getting into arguments with their partners about DIY tasks.

JJ Roofing Supplies conducted the survey in March 2016 and had 2,000 respondents.


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