The days of ‘DIY’ are long gone, according to new research.
A new report of 2,000 adults reveals few people take on the day to day jobs and chores themselves, instead Brits are embracing the idea of ‘DFY’ – jobs Done For You.
In order to maintain an organised and busy lifestyle, millions of people are opting to hire external help in the form of cleaners, gardeners, dog walkers and nannies.
In addition, people are investing in technology to ensure they don’t have to lift a finger around the home – meaning jobs such as washing up and doing the supermarket food shop are also a thing of the past.
Indeed, researchers found that when it comes to washing or servicing the car, cleaning the windows, or packing boxes to move house, Brits now automatically pick up the phone to find someone to do it for them.
A spokesman for McCarthy & Stone, which conducted the study, said: “There is no shame in looking for external help when jobs become too much to handle.
“It is well known that British people are amongst the hardest working in Europe, and it can only be possible to manage a busy lifestyle by getting a little bit of assistance along the way.
“Having someone else to help you move house, walk the dog, or do the dusting when you’re too busy to do it yourself can save a lot of stress.”
The study shows the average adult thinks nothing of getting someone in to help with odd jobs such as putting up shelves, blinds or curtain polls. Fitting anything new around the house is now often left to the experts.
Cleaning the carpets is no longer a job for the home vacuum cleaner, as many people opt to employ heavy duty cleaners, while cleaning the oven is considered something worth paying for.
Setting up technology and electrical items in the home are also jobs best left for someone else; installing computers, printers, and televisions are time consuming tasks only quick and easy for people who know what they are doing.
Making or altering clothes, pruning plants and hedges and jet washing the driveway are all amongst the tasks Brits are happy to leave to others.
Indeed, a quarter of those polled admitted they are generally more likely to rely on external help than doing household tasks themselves, so that everything gets done.
A third of people just don’t do jobs such as decorating, tending to the cleaning and gardening any more, and many say jobs like washing the windows and cleaning the oven would certainly fall by the wayside if they didn’t employ someone else to do them.
Four in 10 of the adults surveyed claim they struggle to get things done at the best of times, with a further 43 per cent feeling bogged down with all the work, chores, clubs, sports and family life they have to manage.
And when given any spare time at all, 56 per cent of adults would far rather spend that time enjoying themselves than getting on with the household tasks.
The study reveals 51 per cent of people no longer feel it is taboo to hire help around the house, while 48 per cent say that people today try to do so much getting additional help has become a necessity.
The spokesman for McCarthy & Stone continues: “As the survey shows an extra pair of hands or two can make all the difference.
“That is why At McCarthy & Stone we offer our homeowners a Smooth Move and part exchange service which includes things like free of charge removals, de-cluttering, packing and unpacking, a handyman to put up shelves etc, all with the aim of taking the worry out of moving, allowing retirees to focus on the next chapter of their lives, and do more of things they enjoy, like spending time with family and friends.
TOP 20 JOBS ‘DONE FOR YOU’
1. Service the car
2. Washing the windows
3. Cut the family’s hair
4. Washing / valeting the car
5. Odd jobs such as putting up shelves
6. Putting up blinds / curtain poles
7. Mowing the lawn
8. Fixing anything which is broken around the house
9. Cleaning the oven
10. Installing the computer / printer
11. Setting up electrical items such as Sky or modems
12. Building flat pack furniture
13. The weekly food shop
14. Cleaning carpets
15. Fitting anything new around the house
16. Gardening, pruning plants / hedges / trees, weeding
17. Packing boxes when moving house
18. Jet washing the driveway/ patio
19. Making / altering / repairing clothes
20. Clearing rubbish
