Home maintenance can come with a hefty price tag, so taking care of things yourself in order to cut down on costs is often a more appealing option. While some jobs like changing a lightbulb or repainting your bedroom might seem easy, others should be left to the professionals.
Some DIY mistakes are particularly costly if they go wrong, especially if you account for the added repair costs. Brand Manager at UltraTile, Josh Jinks, shared the most common and expensive DIY mistakes that people make in the home, which could cost you up to £25,000. From easy tiling mishaps to knocking through walls, Josh has revealed which jobs are best left to the pros and how much each mistake could end up costing you to repair.
Roofing work
Applying new tiles to a leaky roof might sound like an easy job, but Josh warned that one “poorly fitted tile could lead to water ingress, mould and damp.” Replacement tiles that aren’t properly fitted could also knock the tiles next to it, leading to even more holes in your roof.
The possible repair costs for this range anywhere from £500 to £2,000 for a few slipped tiles and up to £12,000 for full repair, while water damage caused by leaks can set you back £2,000 to £5,000.
Tiling or grouting fails
Laying tiles unevenly, using the wrong tile adhesives or simply forgetting to waterproof a wet room before applying your tile and adhesives, any of these mishaps could result in water ingress, damp and structural damage. This can easily spread to the rest of your house “causing a long-term headache that just won’t go away,” said Josh.
A simple mistake and you could find yourself spending up to £15,000, with the cost of repairing water damage from a leaking shower estimated to be between £5,000 and £10,000, while re-tiling a bathroom could set you back up to £6,000.
Rewiring your home
Fixing electrical mistakes is costly and will likely require significant redecorating afterwards, with Josh cautioning that “this is one job you should leave to the pros.”
It can take up to two days for a single room to be rewired, costing between £2,000 and £5,000, while an entire home would set you back anything from £5,000 to £15,000, taking up to two weeks to complete. You might also unexpectedly encounter the need to fix electrical fires, which can add up to over £10,000.
Plumbing disasters
Moving pipework, adjusting your central heating or attempting to install a bathroom could see you stuck with hefty bills for repairs. Mistakes made here often means “water ends up in places where water isn’t supposed to be” said Josh.
From sagging ceilings, damp and mould, repairing leaks can cost anywhere from £2,000 to £10,000, while flooring, plastering and redecorating can range from £5,000 to £15,000. Severe cases could see you paying up to £20,000 for structural damage incurred too.
Removing a load-bearing wall
The last job Josh urges homeowners to avoid, even if “home improvement shows make it seem so simple”, is knocking through a wall. “Often, we hear cases of people who’ve knocked down a load-bearing wall to find it plays a key part in supporting their home’s structure. Suddenly, they’re dealing with cracked plaster, sagging ceilings and more.”
Repairing a house’s structure requires huge amounts of work and money, from a structural engineer assessment, which can be between £500 and £15,000, to installing a beam, which could cost up to £10,000.
Once the structure is repaired, you might also have to account for another £2,000 for rebuilding the wall and up to £3,000 for plastering, electrics, and decoration. While the idea of transforming two rooms into an open-plan living space or kitchen might seem tempting, Josh said: “Don’t even attempt this one.”
