DIY shows cause disasters in the home

Britons have collectively caused £350 million worth of damage to their homes trying to copy things they saw on DIY television shows, a survey has shown. Around 750,000 have damaged their properties while trying to emulate improvements seen on home makeover shows, with each mistake costing an average of £484 to put right, according to Halifax Home Insurance. An estimated 12 million people have been inspired to embark on a home improvement project after watching one of the shows, with homeowners splashing out an average of £4,880 each. People are most likely to have tried to copy something they saw on BBC1's Changing Rooms, at 27 per cent, followed by Channel 4's Property Ladder, at 22 per cent, while 21 per cent have tried to emulate something from DIY SOS, the BBC show in which DIY disasters are put right. Vicky Emmott from Halifax Home Insurance said: "It all looks so simple on TV, making it easy to forget that the work on makeover shows is being carried out by highly trained and skilled professionals. "But if you don't know what you're doing we'd advise anyone planning any major improvements that DIY should really stand for Don't Involve Yourself."

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