Home DIY know-how ebbs away

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by Gill Montia

Home improvement and DIY know-how is ebbing away as younger households rely on parents to complete tasks such as garden maintenance, painting and building and assembling furniture.

According to research from insurer Aviva, over half of parents with children aged 20 to 40 and living in their own homes are called upon for help, with a third of this group turning up 10 times a year to carry out home maintenance / improvement work.

Parents are typically completing jobs that would cost around £1,280 a year if undertaken a professional, and spend an average £334 annually on DIY goods and materials needed.

Over 80% of parents questioned think they were more capable of handling home improvements at their children’s age than their children are today and it appears that the “Do It For Me” generation is in no hurry to learn tasks for themselves.

If unavailable, 42% of parents believe their children would leave jobs until they are around and 40% believe they would hire a tradesman rather than roll up their sleeves and give it a go.

Commenting on the research, Aviva’s director of home insurance, Heather Smith, says: “It’s great to see that parents are still happy to help their children with their own home improvement and renovation projects, but inspiring them to learn for themselves and gain this skill set will undoubtedly help them make the most of their homes in the future.”