20 fobbed off DIY jobs and how long they take

11:04 14 October 2009

A study of 3,000 home owners has revealed the top 20 jobs that are claimed will be gotten around to but are indefinitely delayed before completion.

The average home has five household jobs in need of attention according to the study by Honda Lawn and Gardens, adding up to 72 million DIY dilemmas across Britain.

The study also revealed that the average person will simply put up with a fault for five months before giving in and tackling it.

Classic household problems like squeaky floor boards, dodgy toilet flushes, blown light bulbs and blocked sinks are just some of the tasks that take over a month to muster up the courage to sort out.

David Hodgkinson, HondaÂ’s marketing communications manager, stated: "Jobs such as mowing the lawn, dusting skirting boards and descaling the kettle simply arenÂ’t a priority for most people."

Four out of 10 people quizzed by the study admitted fobbing the job off to their other half, who then promptly puts it on the back burner.

The top 20 "I'll get round to it" jobs and how long they take:

1. Fixing squeaky floor boards... 25 weeks
2. Fixing the garden shed... 23 weeks
3. Fixing broken bathroom tiles and grouting... 20 weeks
4. Tackling overhanging tree branches... 17 weeks
5. Cleaning out the oven... 17 weeks
6. Weeding... 15 weeks
7. Trimming hedges and borders... 15 weeks
8. Descaling the kettle... 15 weeks
9. Mending a broken door bell... 15 weeks
10. Defrosting the freezer... 14 weeks
11. Dusting skirting boards... 12 weeks
12. Fixing leaky taps... 11 weeks
13. Mowing the lawn... 10 weeks
14. Fixing cupboard doors... 10 weeks
15. Fixing a toilet flush... nine weeks
16. Fixing or replacing a broken loo seat... eight weeks
17. Cleaning stubborn stains on worktops... eight weeks
18. Cleaning marks or stains on the carpet... eight weeks
19. Changing a light bulb... seven weeks
20. Changing batteries in the remote control... six weeks