Britain’s Busy Tradespeople Fall Behind on Home Improvements

A new study by Draper Tools, the UK’s leading distributor of hand and power tools, has revealed that the average tradespeople have 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 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.

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: