One in three women admit they are ‘nervous’ when their other half tackles home improvements, a study has found. The detailed research found whilst the majority of men feel ‘comfortable’ getting to grips with everyday tasks around the home, their other halves are the complete opposite.
In fact, one in five women said they wouldn’t even trust their partner to hang a picture, while one in three said their other half had ‘different expectations’ of what a job well done looked like.
Additionally the report found only four out of ten home improvement jobs can be hailed a ‘complete success’.
A spokesman for the Command Brand from 3M, which commissioned the study, said:
“The best way to avoid bodging up home improvements is simply to find an easier way to get the job done. Seek out advice from the experts and use products and tools that save you time and effort.
“The research shows it can be all too easy to underestimate the skill involved with doing certain DIY tasks and the difficulty with using certain tools.”
The study also found over a third of people have painted a room and immediately regretted the choice of color – repainting almost straight away.
While attaching things upside down, going gung ho without using instructions and seeing things collapse almost instantly were also common mistakes made by us haphazard Brits.
And the results showed just 43% of home improvement jobs DON’T end in failure – meaning less than a fifty-fifty gamble each time homeowners reach for their tools.
Worse still – one in four people have injured themselves in some way when trying to fix up their house, with more than 75% of injuries being caused by drilling or hammering.
Given the true extent of Britain’s lack of home improvement skills it is perhaps no surprise that nearly a fifth of those polled wouldn’t trust their partner to complete a simple job like putting up a shelf.
An honest one in four women said their partner was very good at starting a new job around the house – but less good at actually getting it finished.
In fact, 45% of women get nervous when their partner attempts any sort of handiwork in the home.
The most common reasons for feeling uneasy were ‘because something usually goes wrong’ or because they thought it would most likely end in an argument.
Perhaps that’s summed up by the third of nervous ladies who said the definition between what they think looks good and what their partner considers a job well done is vastly different.
The Command Brand spokesman added:
“There are always options for making tricky jobs easy and a variety of short-cuts that those in the know can use to get the same results, without the hassle or risk of catastrophe.
“Accidentally drilling holes in the wrong place and putting up pictures that instantly fall down, feature highly on the list of common home improvement mistakes.”
MOST COMMON BODGED JOBS
1. Missed bits painting
2. Accidentally drilled holes in the wrong place
3. Spilling paint on the carpet
4. Failed to finish the job
5. Wonky shelves
6. Failed to follow instructions
7. Bought the wrong tools for the job
8. Pictures or shelves collapsed
9. Attached things upside down
10. Drilling through pipes