With the country on lockdown, most of us are spending a lot more time at home than usual.
Whilst we’re stuck inside, there’s never been a better time to tackle those interior jobs you’ve been meaning to do for months.
From fixing that annoying creaking door to organising the bottomless draw filled with god knows what; now is a great time to start ticking things off your DIY to-do list.
Going down the DIY route will help keep you busy and it could save you a couple of quid too.
According to tradesperson comparison site, HaMuch.com, there are at least eight DIY jobs that can be easily done around the house; saving you precious pounds by tackling them yourself.
Founder and CEO of HaMuch, Tarquin Purdie, commented:
‘Like many sectors, tradespeople have been hit hard by the spread of coronavirus and are unable to go about their work due to the fact they can’t enter people’s homes at present.’
‘Of course, the silver lining for many homeowners is they now have plenty of time on their hands to tackle a whole host of jobs around the house and save money while doing so.’
‘This is particularly beneficial for those of us that can’t work and can give a real sense of achievement as well as some mental stimulation.’
Of course, we don’t advise that you attempt any jobs that need professional work such as electrics or gas, amongst other things… it’s well worth waiting until normality returns and you can get a skilled tradesperson in to do the job.’
Here are 8 DIY jobs you can organise and save money on below.
Although squeaky hinges might sound like a small task, it’s a perfect one to tackle in lockdown. Whether it’s the front door or a piece of furniture, unhappy hinges can be easily remedied with some WD-40.
You could even start your DIY journey by replacing a hinge – which is a fairly easy job.
A handyman or joiner would typically set you back about £30 for the hours of work changing a couple of hinges. So if you’re up for the challenge, it’s well worth it!
You can get your hands on some new hinges via various online shops such as B&Q or Screwfix. Just double-check their website for delivery time and availability.
Whether you need flooring replaced or you simply want to sort a squeaky floorboard, it will cost you £30 an hour for a tradesperson with an average time of 3 hours to tackle one room.
While replacing an entire floor is best left to the professionals, you can use a home remedy to temporarily sort out a squeaky floor.
Sprinkle talcum powder, soapstone powder, or powdered graphite within the gaps between the boards. This is a cost-effect way to stop those annoying floorboards squeaking!
Painting is the perfect job for some constructive family time. It can take a professional a full day to paint a room properly, costing a couple of hundred pounds.
But now you’ve got plenty of time on your hands – and if you’ve got kids, they can get involved too!
Painting the house not only gives each room a new lease of life but can be done very cheaply for the cost of a few paintbrushes and paint.
Many online retailers such as Designer Paint, Homebase and Graham & Brown are still selling paint. Just double-check their websites for delivery times and product availability.
If you need a few tips on how to paint a room, here’s a handy video from B&Q to get you started.
It will take a professional around an hour to sand back wooden furniture to repaint it at a cost of £27 an hour.
But if you fancy taking on the task of upcycling your tired furniture, some sandpaper, a tin of paint and a bit of elbow grease could cost a lot less.
Transform your wooden furniture into a fresh piece to suit the colour scheme of your home.
Much like a fresh lick of paint, wallpaper can also transform the look and feel of a room. While wallpapering is a fairly lengthy process, lockdown is the perfect time to take on the challenge.
To have a room professionally stripped and redone will cost around £600. Although it might take you a little bit longer than the pros, it can be done by an armature with a bit of practice for next to nothing.
Take a look at a wallpaper application vide
You can purchase your perfect wallpaper from online shops such as Wallpaper Direct, Graham & Brown and Dunelm.
Or if you’re looking for something a little different for a feature wall, take a look at Minted, Anthropologie or Etsy.
Just double-check their websites for delivery times and certain paint availability.
If you need some guidance on how to wallpaper, B&Q have released a really helpful series of step-by-step video tutorials to help you get started.
Watch the first video in the series below.
Now is a great time to dig out the feather dust, stick your rubber gloves on and give the house a really good spring clean.
It’s a task that would cost £19 per hour with an average of two to three hours for a modest house.
Having your house professionally cleaned for a couple of hours could set you back up to £38.
Again, this can be done cheaply yourself, with minimal cost for some cleaning products.
If you’re running low on supplies, you can order them online via Amazon or Wilko.
Tiling an area of your bathroom is a slightly bigger job which can be a little tricky BUT you can acquire the skills if you stick with it.
At a cost of £50 per square metre, it will roughly cost £190 to get a professional to re-tile half of the bathroom around the shower or bath area.
Again, if you up to taking on the challenge of tiling, tackling it yourself will keep the costs down to the materials alone.
If you’re looking to buy tiles online, try Wicks or B&Q.
If you need some guidance on how to tile a wall, here’s a helpful video from Wicks.
Make the most of your outdoor space ahead of the warmer months by sprucing up your garden.
Not only will you be giving your garden some much needed TLC after the winter but you’ll be getting some much needed fresh air too.
Hiring a gardener for just six hours will set you back as much as £174, so it’s well worth doing it yourself!
You can get your hands on gardening equipment and various plants via various online shops such as Homebase, Dobbies Garden Centres or B&Q.
A Garden Could Add A Premium Of Up To 20% On The Price Of Your Property
