Our throwaway culture of throwing things away and buying them new again may have just about come to an end whilst financially struggling homeowners have had to tighten their purse strings by tackling DIY jobs a recent survey showed.

There are now 75% of us who are now attempting to make an effort to increase the full lifespan of their every day gadgets and appliances.

There are now 6 in10 of us who will attempt to mend broken appliances themselves with a further 35% saying that would have otherwise called in an engineer or considered replacing the appliance with a newer model pre credit crunch.

A staggering 50% of people asked said that they had found the minor jobs like fixing wobbly shelving and dodgy washing machines much easier than they had originally expected. Six out of ten women asked stated that they would pick up a screwdriver and 19%of people in the survey said they would never fix broken appliances and a mere 5% said that they couldn’t leave household jobs for months if they needed doing.

The psychologist called Donna Dawson was the one to analyse the survey data which had originally been compiled by the retailer of spare parts eSpares and she said:

“Fixing something gives you a great sense of achievement. The fact more women are getting to grips with repairs shows they’re less reliant on their male counterparts.”

The FMB carried out a survey amongst a section of UK “DIYers” that threw up interesting results not least the number of people who had encountered their own DIY disaster s and whether they would consider tackling a similar project again themselves.

It is not questionable that many people have definitely learnt from their previous experiences and after encountering problems in their last DIY building project, 34% of people asked said they would always now only use a competent tradesperson from now on with 47% said they would use a good competent builder for their larger home improvement jobs and do still continue to do the smaller jobs themselves. Another 16% claimed that they would continue to do all their jobs themselves.

“Of course we can blame home improvement programmes and celebrity developers for making the whole thing look far too quick and easy to do yourself,”

said director general of FMB, Ian Davis. He continued further with

“It’s important to remember that most home improvement disasters are down to poor planning from the outset and also knowing your limits.
“Many of our members are called in to sort out half finished DIY jobs, which end up costing homeowners far more than they bargained for.”

Know the facts

Before you decide to embark on your next big DIY project you must take into account all the basics you will need to know firstly or you could well become another static in our UK DIY disasters.
Making additional home improvements pays when it comes to valuing your home and the Federation of Master Builders revealed that year upon year, UK homeowners waste nearly £500 million pounds on dodgy DIY projects and disaster thwart building projects.

FMB research also shows that we in the UK spend longer deciding where we are going on holiday(35 days) or buying a new car (99 days) than planning our home improvement (less than 24 days
Furthermore the FMB found that well over a third of people classed as “DIYers” said that their home improvement work takes much longer than they had planned. 17% said that their DIY ended up costing much more than they had budgeted for and they didn’t like the end result.

However, even baring all this in mind we would still as a nation rather do the work ourselves than get a tradesman in. Over 40% of people questioned in the FMB survey said that they were about to embark in a major home improvement plan themselves. Only one out of three people asked stated that they would get a tradesman in to do the work.

Some good tips to consider before carrying out any significant DIY projects:

• Clean before and after you start the work, if you live in high populus areas, like cities consider professional services. Hiring one-off cleaning in London can be quite cheap as opposed to a smaller sub-urban town.
• Ensure you have all the planning done in full and, if required, you have sufficient planning permission, before initiating the changes to save wasted time and money
• Budget for the duration of the work, if you run out of money halfway through any large DIY tasks, you can leave an eyesore that ends up costing more than t should have.

The most innovative and daring of us would go for this choice, it really helps to express your creative side with exciting tastes and futuristic touches.

For this design to have full impact (because you will need an element of items to make it what it is and you don’t want clutter), keep it to very large bathrooms.

Whirlpool baths and steam cabins are amazing. Walk-in showers with modern tiling and chrome fixtures and futuristic lighting, especially over the shower itself are all stunning.

Closed couple toilets are necessary or maybe a wall hung unit with funky design. Very pointed and acute angles or unusual shapes of bathroom furniture add to the effect of your bathroom suite, as do glass basins and funky patterned toilet seats.

The absolute height of luxury is a waterproof TV or if your bathroom is huge, double it up as a gym or add a sauna.

Keep a little fridge in the corner so you can keep beers cool in it when you are soaking in your futuristic sunken chrome bath with Jacuzzi and under water lighting!

Think up the most elaborate and stunning piece and do it – even adding a mermaid statue in chrome.
Don’t go too overboard on the ornaments though because a futuristic or fantasy bathroom probably is not at its best when cluttered. Choose eye catching items such as small piles of coloured pebbles and big striking modern wall prints with slashed paint strokes including stunning pillar candleholders (table or floor variety), however, chrome floor candleholders with huge ivory candles and standing floor to roof plants would be really amazing.

These are down to space and making the most of it.

Made to measure bathroom furniture is the best solution if doing this from scratch.

Get rid of the old fashioned and cluttered airing cupboard because with a modern bathroom there is plenty of room to cram cleaning fluids and toiletries into fitted cupboards and cabinets that give storage right across at least one wall of the bathroom.

White gloss is always popular; however, recently beech and maple bathroom furniture finishes have made a big emergence in popularity.

Wall sanitary ware saves much space and gives the bathroom an additional contemporary feel.

Concealed cistern units are a must to keep the smooth line you have created with your fitted units.

If you don’t have room for a separate shower then shower baths are the perfect way to optimize your space allowing you to shower and bath.

The most popular if you can afford it are the walk in showers. If you are buying a shower cubicle to stand separately in your bathroom then make sure you choose chrome rather than white, it is quite important.

Throughout the whole modern bathroom suite you need to choose stainless steel and chrome for baths and mixers in contempory designs. Have chrome heated towel rails rather than the standard white radiators.

If you want to don’t worry about using bold colours with tiles or painting, you need to get the balance right against the gloss and chrome finishes. Stylish roller blinds work best here but if you use curtains then the colours of these should be subtle.

Popular Bathroom Designs - Shabby Chic Bathrooms

Quite a new phrase in the use of room designs in essence it is a rather obscure blend of neglect with style. It sounds a little complex and understandably it is one of the most difficult in all the popular bathroom designs to re-create. It is a bold choice but can pay off hugely reaching its full potential wow factor in a Spanish Villa, French Chateau or Continental home.

Thing of the opposite version to a fitted bathroom, this is shabby chic, a mismatch of products, styles and colours. It is at the discretion of your imagination and boldness in placing the objects that show taste but would not normally be seen in a bathroom e.g. like putting a mini fridge in the corner.

Any pipe work or plumbing can remain on show, use large pot plants to wow.

Keep the colours in the bathroom as neutral as possible with touches of darker colours if desired. Pain should be matte or flat wall paint and yellow and golds, checked patterned wallpaper should be considered.

You have to have a cast iron bath either style will do, whilst you want it to be a working bath, if it looks a little battered all the better!

Run sandpaper over some of the paint work and clawed feet. Check car boot sales for these types of things including old fixtures.

The counter top basis is best here and can come in extremely unusual designs; it is a good idea to keep it on a battered vanity unit or a washstand adding an ornamental or antique framed mirror.

This is probably the easiest design to re-create yourself but will only work in certain homes where the decoration and house period suit it. The classic look is known for its high beams, floral wallpaper, basin frills, cast iron baths and ridged sanitary ware look.

Choose floral or plaid curtains and ensure any bathroom furniture is wood and in maple, ash, oak and beech.

Floors should be varnished wooden floorboards or tiles; if tiles are used they should be a rustic colour or could even be elaborate mosaics. If the floors are wood they should be the same colour of the wooden furniture. Stencil motifs can be used for borders.

A must have for a cottage bathroom is definitely a high level cistern toilet with pull chain as are the accessories for baths and basins (including taps). Any type of basic free standing bath will do. A tiled walk in area would be stunning in the run up to a shower; the shower should have the tradition shower curtain.

Wicker baskets and pot pouri are pretty high on the list of cottage bathroom accessories as are wire basket shelves or stylish wall lamps. Even a hanging basket of pot pouri would be a nice touch.

Actually the bathroom has come a fair way over the past hundred years when it used to be a tub set in front of the fire in the living room filled by buckets of water. Now, bathing is the luxury experience we all enjoy in our homes. Not so long ago, having a bathroom in your home was a luxury only provided to the wealthy.

Still some of the most popular choices in bathrooms are the luxurious Edwardian and Victorian designs and they fit the bill in a cottage, contemporary flat or even exquisite villa.

Nowadays there are luxury steam rooms, hydrotherapy baths and Jacuzzis as bathrooms have got much more sophisticated.

There are a handful of popular bathroom designs and these range from country, traditional, shabby chic, fantasy and contemporary.

The Traditional Bathroom

This normally means an Edwardian or Victorian style.

Over the last ten years with popular TV programmes including changing Rooms, the trend for an old fashioned bathroom has seen an up search.

The bathroom here has the centre piece as a traditional free standing bath usually with polished legs and feet that is a roll top or slipper bath which stands on a dark oak floor. The curves and deep ridges keep the bold and masculine traditional sanitary.

Both soft and bold colours will work well when decorating and bathroom like this. The stronger tones of green, brown and maroon gives the room warmth, all bathrooms should be well lit and a truly stunning feature is a lavish period chandelier. By using antique gold you may see this works better than chrome.

In this bathroom it is curtains not blinds. If you have a vanity unit and not a traditional basin with pedestal then go for an oak or cherry finish.

Clutter can actually make a traditional bathroom look more appealing. Give your bathroom plenty of pictures, even black and white family pictures framed in antique gold. A chest of draws in oak in the corner or even a table maybe with a scatter of scented candles and aromatherapy oils. Have a large framed mirror that has an antique feel and look and maybe even for a finishing touch add an old fashioned bulky radiator to give a cozy feel.

Some people have front doors that open directly into their living room from the street; however, if you have a hallway you should make some effort with it. After all, first impressions count and the minute you get a visitor it is the first part of the house that they see. So a good welcome impression can help to sell you property.

As people pass through the area rather than them spend time in it, the hallway becomes the perfect place to give visitors their first glimpse into your own personality. So the hall should be used as somewhere that sets the tone in the remaining parts of your house.

Give your hallway as much care and attention as you would an individual living space.

It is notoriously prone to wear and tear so skirting boards need to be painted and walls need cleaning of mucky hand prints.

Special touches that suit your personality such a 20th century umbrella stand or a corner table with a plant on it.

Many hallways have much space on the walls so hanging pictures and photographs to bring out some personality in the blank background is a good idea.

Hallways need to be kept light and airy and wall lights work well, I you have a narrow hallway use mirrors to give the illusion of a wider space.

The most important thing to do is to get the most comfortable bed it is possible for you to afford. The mattress is more important than the base so make sure you test it before you buy it.

The best type of mattress you can buy is the pocket sprung mattress which will leave you a little less money in your pocket but because each spring has its own air pocked it means that if your partner turns over in the night, you are not disturbed.

When you’ve had a mattress, the next most important consideration for you is your duvet and pillows. Such as the mattresses, there are millions of options, including luxurious goose down, synthetic, allergy free. I know that fluffy duvets and feather pillows are welcoming on those cold winter nights.
The use of fabrics in a bedroom is really important to give it the feeling of luxury and relaxation and the ultimate indulgence is to have a cashmere blanket at the bottom of your bed. It makes your bed look funkier and more inviting and its’ great for cuddling into on cold winter days.

For many traditionalists luxury means romance and romance means a full draped four poster bed. This look can also be achieved quite cheaply with a steel or wooden frame and a few metres of netting or fabric.

To kit your bed out to resemble a four-poster bed will require much fabric mainly because you need to allow for a backdrop, tie backs, curtains, linings etc.