DIY isn't particularly cheap, even though you're doing it yourself, as to redecorate a room you need to invest in the paint or wallpaper, you may need to buy the tools and you'll always find more smaller expenses that you didn't think of when you started. Yet DIY in homes is becoming more popular in the UK, for a number of different reasons.

Firstly, UK home owners are finding that generally they can't afford to move home with the house prices being so low, so if they want to improve their surroundings they need to redecorate rather than up sticks. This of course means they have to do it themselves, as employing a decorator can be expensive.

Secondly, fewer people can afford to go out as much, so instead of spending a Saturday night on the town or down the local pub, people are staying in more. Yet rather than staying in to watch TV or have parties, people are doing their own DIY in their homes to add value to their houses.