The beginning of the end??

[shelli]

I Read this

DIY 'falls from favour'
10-May-2007

British homeowners - which may include recent first time home buyers - are losing interest in DIY, it has emerged.

According to a study by Woolwich mortgages, 75 per cent of respondents - of which some may be recent first time home buyers - confirmed they are tired of watching television programmes covering topics such as house makeovers and home improvements.

Indeed, nearly 50 per cent of homeowners confessed to actually hating DIY.

"Home improvements can make a tangible difference to the value of people's homes, but a bad standard of work can drag the price down," said Andy Gray, head of mortgages at Woolwich.

"Savvy buyers can often see through botched DIY jobs, meaning that sellers will either need to drop the price or employ an expert," he added.

As a result, seven out of ten individuals would rather consider paying an expert or actually employ their services.


Hoorah !!

 

[Nemesis]

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=719&storycode=3086571&c=2&encCode=00000000012fe38e

 

[Penners]

Sorry, but I don't believe it.

I think it's entirely erroneous to believe that a fall in the popularity of DIY TV shows indicates a fall in the popularity of DIY itself. All it means is that people are sick and tired of DIY and makeover TV shows, and that the remaining audience for such programmes is increasingly diluted between the plethora of them.

And thank goodness for that. I'm sure that the idea you can "makeover" a sitting room in just one day is absolute anathema to most of us on this forum.

But as for DIY itself, I believe that it's now so much part of our culture that we will never return to the days of "getting a man in" for every little job.

I remember my grandmother getting a plumber to come and fit a new bath plug - can you imagine that happening today?

 

[plumbers mate]

A friend of mine has an extra job in B&Q stacking shelves type of thing from 8-1am.
He says that in the Warehouse type of B&Q they now concentrate on the "soft" DIY as people now get firms in to do the main work and then just do the "prettying up" afterwards such as putting the plant pots out on the decking, hanging the pictures and perhaps a little bit of decorative tiling around the back of the professionally fitted worktop.
At least that's what he says - I don't know, they closed my nearest B&Q and the Warehouse one is inaccessible without a car.

 

[Lime]

IME most DIY is done for two reasons:-
First, cost. Obviously it is more expensive to pay someone to do a job.
Second, bitter experience. Many people decide that the experience of "having workmen in" is something they never wish to live through again. e.g. The type of workman who comes to rehang a door or change a lock that has a lump hammer on top of everthing else in their bag. Who cannot shut a door without nearly taking it off it's hinges. Who thinks fresh air is good for you in December.
Or the plumber who smears everything with Bosswhite. Who can't drill a hole without making a mess equivalent to demolishing the house. Who drips flux everywhere and wipes it up with your dishcloth that is flung outside when finished with. Who scratches everything they touch. Who drops the new fitting causing damage and either blames you or the supplier when you saw them drop it. etc etc etc....

 

[shelli]

Old People - Dont ya just love em

My OH's eldery ones get the delivery man to "take the old one away with you"

Hello? - it was a chesterfield Sofa!!

(then a video that worked perfectly well, then a stereo - ditto, then he gave away all garden tools to the gardener and on and on )

 

[plumbers mate]

>>Or the plumber who smears everything with Bosswhite. Who can't drill a hole without making a mess equivalent to demolishing the house. Who drips flux everywhere and wipes it up with your dishcloth that is flung outside when finished with.

Softy! A plumber I had used the three (almost new) tea towels that were hanging up to dry.
Then he broke the window with his stepladder.
Then gave me the bill for the job he'd done and thought I was just a silly little woman who was making a fuss and I was insured, wasn't I?

 

[shelli]

Old People - Dont ya just love em

My OH's eldery ones get the delivery man to "take the old one away with you"

Hello? - it was a chesterfield Sofa!!

(then a video that worked perfectly well, then a stereo - ditto, then he gave away all garden tools to the gardener and on and on )

that was in response to Penners grandma getting plumber in to change bath plug

 

[Flyfisher]

I remember my grandmother getting a plumber to come and fit a new bath plug - can you imagine that happening today?

Those days will probably be returning soon, when EU Directive 76/8392/upyours is ratified and restricts all work on bath plugs to be carried out only by plumbers with the appropriate NVQ in bath plug fitting. DIY will still be permitted, but only under the authority of your local council building control officer, who will inspect and certify the work for only £150. Failure to include such certification in the forthcoming HIPs will, of course, result in a hefty fine if any new bath plugs are found to have been fitted illegally (as evidenced by the new colour code for bath plugs as per EU Directive 34/1984/nannystate).

 

[Penners]

I wish I could treat Flyfisher's post as a joke, instead of 20/20 foresight.

 

[Penners]

A plumber I had

Ah - an explanation for that nom de plume at last.

 

[NT]

I remember my grandmother getting a plumber to come and fit a new bath plug - can you imagine that happening today?

There are sensible people and clueless, practical and clueless. Tenants calling landlords in to replace a lightbulb is regrettably not a fiction.

Social services are even known to bring a tradesman in at £50 a time to replace a lightbulb.

I wish it were made up... but its not. Look at it another way, 5% of the population is retarded, and thats a lot of people. Over 3 million.


NT

 

[shelli]

He's right you know

We manage property for a living and in my (not inconsiderable) experience the majority of tenants have no practical skills whatsoever. We often have calls from tenants re lightbulbs - and thats not the worst of it...

Will regale with horror stories another time as am nursing poorly hangover until it gets better 8)

 

[Flyfisher]

I don't believe anyone is incapable of changing a light bulb, except for reasons of physical infirmity. I suspect it's more to do with attitude than ability.

I rented out a property many years ago and the tenants varied enormously in their attitude. One particular tenant was a real pain and would call us to deal with the most amazing trivia, including light bulbs. Their attitude was 'I'm paying, you deal with it', which is fine if, say, the washing machine had broken down (it was a furnished house) but demanding a new light bulb was just taking the p... I wouldn't have been surprised if they had call to have the lights turned on and off!
They soon found that their 6 month tenancy was not renewed!

We persevered for a few years but in the end we were worn down and sold up. It was more trouble than it was worth.

As for the social services sending tradesmen to change lightbulbs (which I don't doubt), that's probably a combination of attitude (on both sides?), health & safety issues and insurance liability. The world really is going mad!

 

[Lime]

I don't believe anyone is incapable of changing a light bulb, except for reasons of physical infirmity. I suspect it's more to do with attitude than ability.

Yes, my experience would bear that out.
At a rent tribunal (many years ago) when a tenant of mine was given a notice to quit because they were stealing electricity it was claimed by the tenant that their baby had taken the padlock off the meter and put the coins repeatedly through the slot.
It was also claimed that the baby had removed the seals, undone the meter front and played with the dials.
(This is true!)
If a tenant's baby can do that, then a tenant can surely change a lamp bulb! :roll: :lol:

 

[Penners]

the baby had removed the seals

Could they balance balls on their noses?

 

[shelli]

It was also claimed that the baby had removed the seals, undone the meter front and played with the dials.
(This is true!)
If a tenant's baby can do that, then a tenant can surely change a lamp bulb!

Kids are smart - I often think of it like Lambs and Sheep

Lambs gambolling in the fields seem quite sparky, curious and intelligent. Then they grow up into sheep!

Nuff said

 

[Penners]

Don't be nasty to sheep. At least they've got enough sense to fit themselves with environmentally friendly insulation.

 

[shelli]

I am honorary friend of sheep as saved a lambs life in April (and no, not so could eat it later!)

it was separated from it's mother by river in flood (only knee deep - but still v powerful) so I carried it across slippery stones and reunited them - it was pathetically weak as hadn't fed for we guess at least 2 days.

Felt V good in earth mother type way.

However, despite my motherly love feelings and their fleecy insulation - Sheep ARE stupid. It can't be denied.

 

[Penners]

OK, you're right, I give in. They're almost as stupid as chickens.

Now there's a fowl slur! :lol: