UK DIY News
Brits Don’t Get The Hang Of Basic Home Repairs Until Age 31
Brits don’t get the hang of basic home repairs until the age of 31, a study has found.
A poll of 2,000 adults found that despite turning their sights to fixing up their properties in recent months, three quarters still don’t believe they’ve mastered maintenance skills.
And three in 10 admitted they can’t do any basic home repair tasks, with the average adult only starting to feel more comfortable in their skills once they reach their thirties.
One in four adults admitted they have no idea how to read an energy meter and almost half couldn’t unblock a drain if required.
Almost two thirds (65 per cent) wouldn’t have a clue how to fix a leaking tap, more than six in 10 have no knowledge of how to repressurise a boiler and 53 per cent don’t know how to fit a smoke alarm.
And while home maintenance is a ‘priority task’ for nearly a quarter, a lack of experience means seven per cent of households are heading into winter with unfinished projects.
The research was carried out by British Gas, to mark the launch of its ‘Solved on Screen Live’ service where the public can have their dilemmas answered by an expert engineer.
Andy Freeman of British Gas, said: “Our research shows that home maintenance has been popular in 2020 and a priority task in many homes.
“But with winter on its way, we want to offer the opportunity for people to become more comfortable with those home maintenance tasks such as bleeding a radiator or checking their boiler pressure.”
The study also found those polled were aged 24 before they first attempted a maintenance job, with only 12 per cent taught any form of maintenance skills at school.
Half have tried to teach themselves home repairs ‘out of necessity’ and more than one in five don’t try themselves at all, relying on a qualified professional.
The main reason for putting off doing home maintenance was a concern about not having the right skills (33 per cent), although 22 per cent find the idea of home maintenance ‘too daunting’.
Nearly half have turned to online video tutorials or live stream Q&As about home repairs tasks, while 13 per cent have crowd-sourced advice and put a shout out for help on social media.
But despite the world relying more than ever before on online help, the research carried out through OnePoll found parents remain a trusted sounding board.
Around a third said they turn to their dad for advice and one in 10 look to their mum for help.
British Gas has introduced a live digital advice service, Solved on Screen Live - real-time online sessions where expert engineers will be on-hand to help solve the public’s questions on common home maintenance problems.
The service launches on Sunday 1st November at 11am via the British Gas YouTube channel.
Andy Freeman added: “With Solved on Screen Live we can now offer this advice live to people in the comfort of their homes with the knowledge of our expert engineers.
“And for those issues that aren’t so simple, our engineers are available 24/7, 365 days a year to help solve whatever problems people face.”
TOP FIVE HOME MAINTENANCE TASKS HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO
1. Fix a leaking tap
2. Repressurise the boiler
3. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm
4. Fit a smoke alarm
5. Unblock a drain
Source : British Gas
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