Household skills DIY-ing out

It’s a widely held belief that younger people are less handy than their parents. New research by AA Home Membership confirms the lack of ‘DIY dad skills’ amongst Generation Y.

Amongst the languishing DIY skill set is the ability to change a fuse in a plug; three out of ten under 35s (31%) are unable to do it – perhaps the most basic of household repair skills. A similar number (32%) don’t know how to turn off their water supply and three quarters (76%) are baffled by how to defrost frozen pipes.

The research also suggests that it’s perhaps not just lack of skills that’s putting younger people off household maintenance – it could just be that they’re not that bothered.

On average, under 35s would wait more than a week to fix a leaky roof. They’d wait almost as long to fix an electrical socket and three days to have a faulty boiler looked at.

However, a broken front door lock is most worrisome, with respondents of all ages attempting to fix the problem within a couple of hours.

The research shows that Wales is the handiest region, compared to London which is least practical.

Helen Brooker, Head of AA Home Membership said: “It’s a common perception that younger people don’t have the same DIY skills that their parents might have had.

“There’s certainly no harm in learning how to carry out a few household tasks like bleeding radiators – no doubt they’ll come in handy at some point.

“Our research shows that younger people tend to wait much longer than those who are a bit older to fix things that go wrong in their home.  It might be because they’re quite small issues. But things can get worse – a cracked window, for instance, could shatter or pose a security risk, so it’s best to get any problems sorted out as soon as you’re aware of them.”

To help homeowners get to grips with some basic home maintenance tasks, the AA has produced a set of how-to videos showing how to complete simple household jobs.