The handiwork of Britain’s multi-talented Mums and DIY Dads has added £33.4 billion to the value of their children’s properties over the past five years. That’s an average of more than six billion pounds every year according to the Halifax.

The research by Halifax Home Insurance claims almost two thirds of Brits (63%) have called upon the skills of parents to help them out of a DIY fix. Obliging parents have donated an average of eight days free DIY days to their children over the past five years, some 167 million in total - worth £14 billion in labour costs alone.

Many children are happy to admit that parents are a great source of cheap labour, indeed 30% of those surveyed said they’d asked for parental help in order to avoid the costs of hiring a trained professional.

Almost half (43%) of Brits said that they’d called on the help of a parent because they didn’t have the skills to do it themselves and 36% because they didn’t have the time.

Don’t Do it Yourself Generation?
The Halifax research also appears to confirm the presence of the Don’t Do it Yourself generation (DDiYers). More than half (53%) of 18-35 year-olds also said they didn’t possess the necessary skills to carry out a task for themselves.

31% of 18-35 year-olds rate their DIY skills and knowledge as being better than their parents, compared to 42% of 35-54 year olds and 63% of over 55s. Sadly it appears likely that basic DIY skills will continue to decline, from generation to generation, as 28% of 18-35 year-olds said that they are too busy for DIY.

Martyn Foulds, senior claims manager at Halifax Home Insurance, said: “It’s great that parents are so keen to help their off-spring increase the value of their homes. It’s no secret that, if done well, even basic cosmetic tasks such as redecorating can add significant value to a property.

It would be great to see more young people taking an interest in DIY, as their parents won’t always be able to help them out. Being able to complete even simple tasks alone can save money. Regardless of who carries out the work - it is worth making sure that you are covered for any damage done to the property. Halifax receives around 50,000 claims a year as a result of DIY disasters, such as breaking pipes or drilling through wires.”

Women are most likely to ask a parent for help with 68% of them having done so, compared to 57% of men.

The most popular DiY activities that parents get roped into include; painting and wallpapering (26%), gardening (22%), general DiY (18%), putting up furniture (16%), carpentry (12%), plumbing (11%), plastering (8%) and building (6%).