What Were The Most Googled DIY Projects Of The Year?

During the past three years, many Brits had a go at a DIY project for the first time, either out of necessity, to save costs, or simply because they had more time on their hands during the lockdowns. Insight DIY recently carried out a survey to discover which were the projects we needed the most internet guidance about!

Surprisingly, their survey found that an overwhelming 85% of us have had a go at some form of DIY project, rather than hire professionals. The most popular activities included painting and decorating, and assembling furniture. The least popular jobs were the ones requiring more technical knowledge, such as plumbing and electrical work.

The kitchen was the most worked on room in the house, with a high volume of searches relating to renovations, such as making cabinets, or building a kitchen island or dining table. DIY panelling proved to be another popular search term, which may be for decorative or insulation purposes.

Watching someone carry out a task on a video sharing platform such as TikTok or You Tube can be a great way to gain confidence and practical skills yourself. Many of them are uploaded by professional tradespeople who are running a side hustle, or bigger brands looking to expand their online presence.

Reading a set of instructions on how to assemble flat pack furniture for example, can be a really frustrating experience. They often don’t seem to make any sense, and the illustrations can be baffling. However, it all falls into place when you watch an expert carry out the task online. 

Other popular searches include ‘how to unblock a shower drain’, ‘how to fix a dripping tap’, and ‘how to bleed a radiator’, according to Manchester TV. This is perhaps not surprising, as they are relatively simple jobs which would otherwise require the expense of hiring a plumber to carry out.

Garden projects were another common search term, including ‘how to build a pergola’, and how to build a deck. This may be another consequence of the pandemic, as we learnt to make the most of our outside space and discovered the joys of gardening, and growing our own fruit and vegetables. 

The DIY boom of recent years looks set to continue, as home owners seek to economise by doing work themselves which they may have previously hired a tradesperson to do. There is also still a high demand created by the frenetic housing market of the past few years, as the stamp duty holiday and the so-called race for space meant record numbers moved house.

Many of those who have recently moved into a new home are no doubt still planning to carry out changes, either to restyle the home with their own taste, or to make repairs or improvements. 

Even some simple changes, such as installing a light bulb door knob, can make a house feel like a more welcoming and convenient place to be.