The Online DIY advice centre, Lets Do DIY are claiming that Britain is in the midst of a DIY boom since visitors to their site went through the roof towards the back end of 2008.
Phil Durston, Chief Executive at Lets-Do-DIY, the DIY advice specialists, whose website features informative guides, reviews and a specialist forum, said, “It seems that the credit crunch and the influence of home improvement shows like 60 Minute Makeover are encouraging homeowners to embark upon DIY projects, in order to improve their property and in hope of bucking the trend for falling house prices.”
Research from Alliance & Leicester shows that almost a third of homeowners are planning to save money by embarking on a DIY project, with many hoping that this will make their property more appealing to potential buyers and reduce its shelf life. The research also showed that around four in 10 of those surveyed had made improvements at an average cost of ยฃ3000 with the aim of improving its market value.
29-year-old Lee Carlisle, from Nottingham recently bought a house with his fiancรฉ, he said, “When I bought a house a few years ago, I got in a professional decorator and plasterer, but this time around we are planning to do it as a DIY project. This is mainly to save money, but also because it gives you a real sense of achievement if you do your house up yourself.”
Mr Durston, whose site offers an independent resource for those seeking DIY advice, said, “Some of the most popular articles we have placed online feature advice on putting up shelves, papering a ceiling, laying a concrete floor and rising damp. It seems many are trying to save on the cost of hiring a handyman and are doing these jobs themselves.”
Web traffic figures released by Hitwise also backed up these findings, after visits to sites in the retail house and garden category rose from 0.49 per cent to 0.59 per cent in the last month. The figures also found that the most popular DIY query last month was ‘how to plaster’.
Mr Durston added, “People are realising that they will not be able to move house in the current climate and are making the best of what they have. The popularity of sites like ours has really benefitted from this boom and that means we are adding even more material to our site on a regular basis to keep up with demand.
“We now have a DIY projects section, an archive full of relevant articles, information on choosing the right materials and tools and an expert forum. “When money is tight people do it for themselves, when times are good they undertake larger projects, whichever way you look at it, its always a good time for DIY”