Jan 27
Master Basic DIY - Now available on Kindle
The Master Basic DIY book written by Mike ‘DIY Doctor’ Edwards, is now available for your Kindle via Amazon.
‘A genuinely valuable document. It is full of information on subjects both large and small and gives advice, not only on how work should be done, but also why and why not it should be carried out in particular ways. I especially like the Insights and Tips stressing brief points, often on safety or expert tricks of the trade. One of the few books on DIY that is well worth reading as well as keeping for reference.’ (Review from Alan Wenman)
To order your digital copy for only £8.99, click here.
Jan 26
A post on easier.com has highlighted what we have been upto in the UK during January. With money being a bit tighter, more of us are staying in rather than going out socialising at weekends. And doing DIY projects is one of the things we are filling our time with. But DIY Doctor would like to remind people to take care – please read up on the work you are tackling, take the appropriate safety measures and do the correct preparation.
Martyn Foulds from Halifax Home Insurance says
“DIY is a great way to save money and keep yourself occupied – but for many it can prove a false economy. Our research shows on average more than one in six DIY jobs go wrong, each costing £426 to fix. With more than four million DIY tasks already having been botched this month, we estimate the cost to homeowners has been almost £540 million.”
According to statistics, 66% of people will choose not to employ a professional tradesman, and will get help from friends or family, even though most of them will be unqualified. If you are considering taking on a more complicated home improvement project, Halifax urges you to consider taking on a professional.
Mr Foulds adds “We advise anyone undertaking big jobs to check their home insurance policy to ensure they are adequately covered for accidental damage. For larger jobs involving gas, electrical or plumbing work, it’s always best to call a qualified professional, otherwise homeowners run the risk of invalidating their home insurance policy if things go wrong.”
There is more information on Home Insurance on our project page.
If you would like to get free quotes from reliable and insured tradespeople for your home improvement project, click here.
Jan 25
This was sent in to us at DIY Doctor and it made us laugh, so we thought we would share it with you …..
Don’t forget, you can avoid the cowboys by using our Find a Tradesman page to receive up to three free, no obligation quotes from reliable and insured tradesmen in your local area.
Jan 24
An article in the Telegraph by Mary Portas has highlighted her Top 10 worst customer service crimes. Portas has a new series on TV called ‘Secret Shopper’ where she is tackling the service we receive in retail outlets in the UK.
Her top 10 include things such as not keeping enough tills open, cashiers not communicating, signage overload, and being told ‘If it’s not out on the shop floor, we haven’t got it’. But at number 4 she has ‘Assistants who don’t know their stuff’, a major bugbear at DIY Doctor. On that subject Mary Portas also goes on to say that
“DIY shops are the worst. Winding queues, nobody on the floor. Bank Holiday Monday in Homebase? I’d rather stick pins in my eyes. And ears.”
This is precisely how DIY Doctor came about! Ten years ago, www.diydoctor.org.uk was set up by Mike Edwards after another trip to a DIY superstore and yet again being dismayed at how little the staff knew about the products they were selling.
So it would appear that customer service in the DIY stores may not have improved much in the last ten years. What do you think?
Jan 21
Of the many feedback emails we have received at DIY Doctor regarding our Desired Outcome Building Contract, this is a great example of the general feeling amongst homeowners:
‘For or all my “fears” and uncertainties I do applaud the fact that an organisation like’ DIY Doctor’ has taken a huge amount of work out of the business of preparing to take on a contractor for a [sizeable] building/DIY project and believe the greater majority of (aware) DIYers will find it a boon.’
‘…….I shall make a point of advising the people I know about the “Desired Outcome Contract” and hope they will, in turn, pass on the information. I hope too, in the future, when they have a decent sized project in mind they will use it to good effect.’
If you would like to read more about our Desired Outcome Building Contract you can request a copy which comes with accompanying notes.
As our page on Building Contracts states, if a builder is unwilling to sign a contract, don’t employ him! One of the biggest problems when it comes to having home improvements done is knowing how to avoid the Cowboys.
If you would like free quotes from reliable and insured tradespeople in your local area, go to our Find a Tradesman page.
