Apparently more than half of young people lack the skills they need to maintain their homes, with many relying on their parents to carry out basic tasks.

In a new survey around 50% of people aged under 35 admitted they didn't know how to rewire a plug, while 54% did not know how to bleed a radiator and 63% said they would not attempt to put up wallpaper, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

Well, no surprise that!

The survey showed that 42% would pay a professional to do the work.

Well it’s easy to bemoan the younger generation, but instead I applaud them.

I’m a decade older than the oldest of the’ young people,’ but I have to confess I’m no star at DIY either, although I can do the rudimentary tasks. The only bedroom in our home I’ve decorated, whilst being ok, doesn’t look anywhere near the standard when you get professionals.

In this age of the home being a sanctuary we demand a top spec finish and with so many of us time poor, do you really want to take a week off to decorate little Jack’s bedroom, when for a couple of hundred quid you could have it done in half the time and twice as well?

That brings me nicely onto Bill Boyce Decorators This family run painter and decorators has over 40 years experience, and is one of the very best decorating firms you can find.

Carpentry is another project many of us try.  I tried it in my first house – it was awful and demoralising.  There is a real skill involved, as anyone who see’s a carpenter's work next to a novices.

Here in Solihull we have Tudor Rose Carpentry & Restoration, another reliable family run business, who are true craftsmen, they do anything to do with wood from a bespoke bookcase to fitting a door or skirting.

Without getting too bogged down in the inane stats in the survey it also showed, the average cost of putting right a botched DIY job is well over £1,000.

I think that’s proof that it’s better to get the professionals in right at the start.

Life is very different to when kids were growing up watching Dad plane the door and fix the cistern in the 60s and 70s. Let’s just accept it rather than trying to make young people look stupid.

Let’s get a good job done quickly and with so many great professionals on thebestofSolihull they are easy to find.