A red-faced dad had to cough up £4,500 to mend his own botched attempt at DIY after he tried to fix a leaking roof and damaged ceiling.
Tom Saunders, 40, noticed the awry roof was causing severe water damage to his townhouse, so he tried to air it and replace parts of the broken ceiling as he thought it'd be cheaper than hiring a tradesperson.
The dad of two thought it would control the damp but it made it worse and the mould quickly spread to the bathroom, and hallway ceiling and walls of the property in Hastings, East Sussex.
Tom eventually had to call in a professional to fix the mess, which cost him £4,500.
It comes as research today shows Brits are paying an average of £157 on solving botched DIY jobs they have attempted themselves.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror, Tom said: "I thought it would be much cheaper to do it myself - it wasn't.
"I wish I hadn't had tried as I made the damage much worse, it cost more in the long run and took longer to fix.
"I have definitely learnt my lesson."
Tom, who is a senior producer in advertising, has shared images of the damage he caused following his bungled work.
He noticed the leaking roof over Christmas last year. It caused severe water damage to the Victorian property.
"As time went on it progressively got worse causing dampness on the bathroom ceiling," Tom continued.
"I tried to unsuccessfully control the damp by going into the loft and airing the roof as well as trying to replace parts of the damaged ceiling – but this made it worse than before.
"Unfortunately, this led to the damp spreading into the hallway ceiling and walls. In the end I had to call a professional to fix it, incurring a higher cost as the damage had spread."
Nearly three in 10 Brits (29 per cent) have had a mishap when they’re attempting DIY around the home, with the subsequent repair costing them £157 on average, the new figures show.
Millennials, those considered aged 18 to 34, are the most likely to make mistakes – with 52 per cent of them saying as much in the survey conducted by home assistance provider HomeServe.
It is today launching the Halftime Help hub, helpful 15-minute guidance on how to fix common issues around the home – the same period as a football halftime – as the research shows that a third have delayed DIY to watch the footie and one in seven 16 per cent missed an important goal due to DIY.
Former Premier League striker and now television presenter, Dion Dublin, is backing the campaign.
A HomeServe expert said: “It's really important to feel confident before tackling jobs around the home to avoid any accidents or costly mistakes.
“But with a fifth of Brits saying they don’t know how to tackle DIY jobs we've launched our Halftime Help Hub to offer a helping hand to tackle those simple jobs they’ve been putting off."
