2020 has been a year like no other and due to the pandemic, it has meant that many people across the country have taken up new hobbies and carried out various jobs in their spare time. From gardening to baking, individuals across the nation have tried turning their hands to unfamiliar tasks to try and create some positives from what has been a challenging year.

During the national lockdown, it was a familiar sight to see never-ending queues outside of home and DIY stores as many people decided that whilst they were unable to work or go about their normal everyday life, it would be the perfect opportunity to carry out a range of DIY tasks around the home. Whether it was sprucing up the living room with a lick of paint or laying laminate flooring throughout each bedroom, I’m sure most of us can admit to carrying out some form of DIY this year.

It could be fair to say that Ireland is now a nation of DIY lovers and to explore this in more detail, Chill Insurance surveyed 400 people to discover what jobs around the home are being carried out, how much money is being spent on these tasks and much more. As Christmas approaches many people may still be on a mission to get their homes looking refreshed ahead of the festive season. With this in mind, Chill also wanted to share some information on the best interior styles of 2020, as well as how you can upgrade any space in your home.

Who is responsible for carrying out DIY tasks within the home?

According to Chill’s survey, the people of Ireland aren’t afraid to turn their hand to DIY tasks around the home, as 62% said they’re happy to do jobs themselves. When the question was asked as to exactly who does more of the DIY work, 72% of men said it was left to them. Although it appears a large chunk of DIY work is carried out by men, 49% of women are more than happy to try their hands at DIY jobs around the home.

From these figures alone it’s clear to see that people across the country are more than happy to take up numerous jobs themselves, rather than seek professional help.

How much are people spending when it comes to carrying out DIY tasks?

It seems that the majority of DIY lovers across Ireland are only happy to turn their hand to a DIY project that doesn’t have a high price tag to it. According to the survey, only 5% of respondents said they had spent over €2,000 in the last year on DIY tasks. On the flip side to this, 35% of people believe they have spent between €200 and €300, 19% said between €500 and €1,000, whilst surprisingly, 6% said they hadn’t spent any money on DIY tasks in the past year. 

With the pandemic affecting how much disposable income people have to spend on luxuries such as decorating and DIY tasks, it’s no surprise that only a small percentage of people have spent big over the past year and it would be interesting to know if they’re planning to change this going into 2021.

What are the most popular DIY projects?

It appears that decorating rooms such as the living room and bedrooms are the most popular DIY projects to carry out, as 73% of people were in agreement. It may come as no surprise that in second place it’s gardening with 66%, followed by upscaling old furniture at 35%. Over the past few years recycling and upscaling old furniture has increased in popularity, so it would be interesting to know how these results change in years to come. This may also impact the money we are willing to spend on DIY as many of us now opt to make do and mend.

How much time are people spending on DIY projects?

Chill’s survey revealed that around 10% of people are carrying out DIY tasks every week, whilst 29% of respondents said around once a month. Not all home owners are keen to turn to DIY as often though, as nearly a quarter of respondents said they only tend to do DIY jobs every three months, with 2% admitting to not doing any DIY tasks within their home at all. It appears that for a lot of people, once a week is the preferred amount of time to carry out any DIY projects and it would be interesting to see if this was to remain the same during 2021.

DIY tips to help you add value to your home

We carry out DIY tasks to make our home look modern or appealing, but there’s a good chance that some of these projects could add value to your home. Although these tasks may come at an initial cost, these changes will boost the price of your house when you come to sell it which will hopefully result in a profit. One of the best ways to do this is to add another bedroom into your home, via a loft conversion. Upgrading your bathroom or kitchen will also go in your favour as this is a job many people don’t want to undertake when they move into a new home, which will also make your house attractive to potential buyers.

It’s important that you only carry out DIY projects you can afford and be sure to seek professional advice if you decide to go ahead with the work, but if the opportunity arises, then thinking about the changes we have mentioned are all great ways to add value to your home and help speed up the selling process.

Whether it’s decorating your living room, updating your bathroom or adding an extension to your home, we’d love to know how much time you’ve spent on DIY projects over the past year and if you have made any significant changes to your house. Let us know on social, using #IrishDIYtips.