Tradesmen warn of do-it-yourself disasters

Tradesmen called to fix expensive renovation mess ups are warning that the do-it-yourself aspirations can result into a nightmare. With the increased popularity of the do-it-yourself improvements, the spending of the consumers at supply stores was hitting new heights. However, the tradesmen are worried about the influence home television shows which encourage DIY have on the people, saying that they can bring costly repairs in case they go wrong.

Rudy Van Vlerken, a building consultant in Wellington, said that he was irritated by the do-it-yourself disaster that he was called in to fix. He has dealt with fences and roofs flown away by the wind, walls that collapsed on the properties beneath and rotting timber decks. Rudy Van Vlerken said that he had tackled two cases of shoddy do-it-yourself workmanships in the past few weeks, which cost the customers around $1500 and $12,000. He said that his most expensive repair was for a messed up job that cost the client $50,000. He added that the worst do-it-yourself culprits were the ones who went into additions without having permission thus passing on the tribulations to the new owners. Vlerken advised new buyers to closely check the renovated homes and those preferring do-it-yourself to seek for professional advice on the major improvements.

Mr. Vlerken said that do-it-yourself was very popular and he would hate for it to stop adding that there is something exceptional about the pride the family, friends, or an individual takes when he does the renovations by himself. He however added that it was not so when the DIY bites you back on the bum while you are paying for a botched up home improvement. Simon Rogers, co-owner of Stewart & Rogers Electrical, said that television shows about DIY often led homeowners to underestimate the cost of renovation, something that could explain the reason people attempted wiring.

The Electrical Contractors Association has issued a warning to the homeowners that they could face difficulties while selling or insuring their properties if they don’t acquire a certificate of compliance for their electrical work. Neville Simpson, the chief executive, said that it was better to leave the wiring work to the professionals. He added that the DIY has been just the old kiwi mindset of “it is simple – I can do it” but the moment they turn on the TV, the toaster immediately goes off. He added that this was something common, where everyone thinks that he knows what he is doing.

Statistics in New Zealand show that there is a strong craving for the DIY supplies. In the first quarter of the year, the consumers spent $1.35 billion on building, hardware and garden supplies, in contrast with $1.18 billion in the equivalent period last year. Hardware stores have also been shown to enjoy the highest average spending growth among retailers for goods. They recorded an increase of nearly 13% in the year ending in July.

The homeowners who make quake-damage claims have been affected most by the repair costs of do-it-yourself botch-ups as the insurance firms find that shoddy workmanship is to blame. Craig Dowling, the IAG spokesman, said that there had been cases where the insurers were declining to pay out repairs when shoddy construction was found to blame for the damage.