Editors Choice
Britain’s busy tradespeople face double DIY
as they fall behind on home improvements
general public, with nearly half of them
saying they actually enjoy DIY and repair
jobs, compared with just 15% of the
general public. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
tradespeople also rate their DIY skills
highly with almost 90% of them
scoring their skills as ‘very good’ or
‘excellent’. Meanwhile just over a third
of the general public claimed to be this
accomplished at household maintenance
jobs.
A new study by Draper Tools, the UK’s
leading distributor of hand and power
tools, has revealed that the average
tradesperson has more than double
the household repairs and home
improvement jobs on their list than the
rest of the UK population. The survey
of 2,000 people 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.
Furthermore, tradespeople will spend
an average of five weeks each year on
their own home improvements, whereas
the rest of the public will spend around
three weeks a year getting their DIY jobs
done.
Draper’s ‘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 explored
how Britain gets the job done, paying
close attention to the nation’s hard-
working tradespeople.
The research revealed a staggering
number of unfinished jobs on UK
tradespeople’s to do lists. Among the
most common tasks needing to be done
were cleaning the car, painting walls,
bleeding the radiator and cleaning the
patio. Other neglected jobs included
checking tyre pressure, building flat
pack furniture, hanging a picture frame,
weeding and clearing out the shed.
It seems hectic lifestyles and busy
work schedules are mainly to blame
for tradespeople having so many jobs
left undone at home, with over a third
of trades saying they just never have
the time. A quarter of tradespeople
said they often made a mental note to
fix something around the home but
ultimately went on to forget it. While 1
in 5 tradespeople admitted they didn’t
have the right tools for the jobs on their
list.
Clive Richardson, Marketing Director at
Draper Tools said:
“When you consider that the UK’s
tradespeople often spend their working
lives coming to the rescue in other
people’s homes and sorting out the
general public’s DIY dramas, it’s easy
to see why they may not always have
the energy to take on their own home
improvements. And, once the list of
jobs start to build up, it understandably
becomes overwhelming, even for a
seasoned professional.
However, with the right tools and some
dedication to getting the job done, these
tasks don’t have to take over anyone’s
life. It can even be very rewarding.
More than 85% of the tradespeople we
surveyed actually said that nothing beats
the satisfaction of a getting a job done –
so it can be incredibly worthwhile when
you finally tackle those put off jobs.”
Despite the number of jobs on their
list, tradespeople have a better attitude
towards home improvements than the
14
However, even the most skilled
tradespeople sometimes need to ask for
help with their home improvements and
when they do, Draper’s Job Done study
found that they’ll turn to a mix of both
traditional and modern sources. Jointly
topping the list of popular resources
for help getting a job done were
tradespeople’s own dads and YouTube
videos. In fact, 93% of tradespeople said
their dad was the first person they’d call
on for help with repairs, maintenance
and DIY jobs.
It seems the old adage of ‘If A Job’s
Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Well’
rings true for the UK’s tradespeople too.
Almost 90% of them admitted that if
they set out to do some DIY, they get the
job done right.
Draper’s Job Done survey has revealed
the most common unfinished household
jobs on UK tradespeople’s lists.
The top ten jobs on UK trade’s to do lists:
1. Cleaning the car
2. Painting walls
3. Cleaning the patio
4. Hanging a picture frame
5. Bleeding a radiator
6. Replacing a doorknob
7. Painting a door
8. Checking tyre pressure/inflating
tyres
9. Organising or clearing out the shed
10. Weeding
For more information on the Draper
Job Done study or the latest products
to help get the job done visit
www.drapertools.com