An increasing number of people are looking towards DIY as a means of saving money, an industry expert suggests.
Andrew Leech, director of the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), points out that by tackling home improvements themselves consumers will be able to save money as they will not have to shell out for "tradesman’s fees and so on".
However, he points out that those looking to tackle particularly complex or large projects should seek out DIY advice – particularly if it the first time that they have attempted such a job – in order to ensure they have the right planning permission and a strategy in place before starting work.
The NHIC official also advised people to carefully consider how they will fund a DIY project.
Such home improvement advice comes as research carried out by Lloyds TSB revealed that just one million homeowners have done "serious structural work" to their property over the past 12 months without the help of professionals, with loft conversions and building conservatories among the most popular projects.
Posted by Thomas Morris