Posted on 12th February 2020

More than 430 million DIY jobs currently need attention in Britain’s homes, a new study by leading tool firm Draper Tools has found. 

The Draper Tools ‘Job Done’ study looked at the nation’s attitudes to some of life’s essential but often put off jobs. From everyday home, garden and car maintenance, right through to DIY and household repairs, the research polled 2,000 adults with the aim of exploring how Britain gets the job done.

Lack of time and hectic lifestyles are partly to blame for the weighty list of home improvements on the nation’s to do lists.

Giving their houses a lick of paint, putting up shelves and wallpapering are among the tasks they are yet to finish.

Other nagging jobs include inflating car tyres, changing light bulbs, fixing dodgy toilet flushes and cleaning the patio.  

The Draper Tools research found three quarters agree if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing well – otherwise it’s simply not worth doing at all. This might explain why 44 per cent have started a task only to leave it half-finished for prolonged period – because they realised part-way through they didn’t have the tools for the job.

Clive Richardson, Marketing Director at Draper Tools said: “Motivating yourself to get jobs done or finding the time to do them isn’t easy – especially when there are so many tasks on our to-do lists.

“The key is to focus on one thing at a time and gradually chip away at your to-do lists otherwise the mounting number of DIY jobs can become overwhelming. We find that with the right tools and a bit of determination to get the job done, these tasks don’t have to take over your life.”

The study also found seven in 10 ‘long’ to cross off DIY jobs from their to-do list – including bleeding radiators, repairing fencing and clearing out the shed. Other long outstanding tasks on the list were building flat pack furniture, fixing squeaky doors and tightening loose screws. Raking up leaves, changing fuses and boarding up the attic also remain incomplete for many of those polled.

It seems that Britain’s busy tradespeople are no better than the rest of the population either, with the average tradesperson having more than double the household repairs and home improvement jobs on their list than the rest of the UK. The research found that those who worked in a trade such as construction, plumbing or electrics had on average 18 DIY and maintenance jobs currently on their list to do at home. By comparison the average person had just eight.

For 59 per cent of the population crossing jobs off their list might take a while – they admit they have an ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ attitude towards home improvement.

In fact, a fifth avoid DIY at all costs and six in 10 simply do it out of necessity.

However, a further fifth described home improvement as something they really enjoy.

When it comes to ability, more than a third described themselves as ‘very good’ at DIY – although six in 10 said they are ‘not that good’ or ‘very bad’.

As a result, many of those polled rely on others for help and advice – with dad the first point of call for four in 10.

Further to this, those who rely on their fathers will go to them as often as four times a month.

But the Draper Tools study carried out through OnePoll found a quarter will also go to their mum for some pointers.

Clive Richardson, Marketing Director at Draper Tools continued: “There are a lot of ways to make jobs that little bit easier – and mum and dad can certainly help. There are also plenty of tools that will simplify and speed up many of the jobs on the nation’s list. What’s more, it’s incredibly rewarding when you do get the job done. In fact, three quarters of the population agreed that nothing beats the satisfaction of a getting a DIY job done – so finally tackling those neglected tasks can be very worthwhile indeed.”

UK’S DIY TO-DO LIST

1. Painting walls
2. Cleaning the car
3. Weeding
4. Cleaning the patio
5. Defrosting the freezer
6. Hanging a picture frame
7. Collecting leaves
8. Replacing light bulbs
9. Organising / clearing out the shed
10. Painting a door
11. Checking tyre pressure
12. Bleeding a radiator
13. Plastering over a little hole
14. Putting up curtains/blinds
15. Inflating car tyres
16. Putting up shelves
17. Fixing a fence panel
18. Fixing a dripping tap
19. Chipped skirting board
20. Wallpapering a wall
21. Sorting a squeaky door
22. Tightening loose screw
23. Building flat pack furniture
24. Fixing a toilet
25. Changing a plug/fuse
26. Replacing a doorknob
27. Changing a shower head
28. Tightening up a loose kitchen cupboard door
29. Fixing a lock
30. Replacing a broken toilet seat
31. Laying carpets
32. Fixing a dodgy toilet flush
33. Changing a light switch
34. Sorting squeaky floorboards
35. Repairing the shed roof
36. Fixing a sticking drawer
37. Fixing a broken doorbell
38. Straightening up a door
39. Boarding up the attic
40. Fixing a leaking pipe

 

For more information on the Draper Job Done Study or the latest products to help get the job done visit www.drapertools.com

 

Survey conducted by OnePoll of 2,000 UK adults, of which 185 were tradespeople.

About Draper Tools: Draper Tools is a leading distributor of hand and power tools. Established in 1919 by Bert Draper, the company is now more than 100 years old and is still family owned and run today. Draper Tools prides itself on the range, quality and value of its expanding product portfolio which includes over 10,000 quality products. Product categories include automotive, construction, engineering and many more. Draper Tools products are available through a wide range of stockists both online and in stores. For more information, stockist details and trade enquiries visit: www.drapertools.com.

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