SHOULD HAVE CALLED A TRADIE! AUSSIES ADMIT THEY CAN’T ALWAYS DIY
There is a particular moment in every DIY disaster when you realise you should probably have called a tradie.
It might be halfway through pulling apart something you have no idea how to put back together, after watching three YouTube tutorials that have somehow made things worse, or when the supposedly simple weekend job has turned into a much more expensive problem.
New research from Kennards Hire suggests 42 per cent of Australians have been there, admitting they have avoided calling a tradie only to regret it later.
And despite our apparent determination to have a go ourselves, Australians still respect the people they eventually call when things go wrong.
Australians know when they need a tradie
The research found 85 per cent of Australians have been grateful to a tradie for solving a problem at short notice, while 53 per cent say they have avoided a costly mistake because of a tradie’s advice, skills or work.
That could mean avoiding property damage, a financial loss or even a safety risk.
It also involves a surprising level of trust. Almost seven in 10 Australians, or 69 per cent, say they would trust a tradie they regularly use to work inside their home while they were not there.
And 90 per cent believe tradies should be recognised as essential workers, alongside professions such as nurses and school teachers.
The DIY temptation is hard to resist
Part of the problem may be that Australians have become accustomed to looking for their own solutions.
Ollie Chapman, Sales Manager at Kennards Hire, says many people have decided they can handle a job themselves, or even turned to AI for instructions, only to discover the job is more complicated than expected.
“Most of us have had that moment where we’ve thought, ‘I can probably do that myself’, or turned to AI for an explainer, only to realise we might have been better off calling an expert,” he says.
The problem is that watching someone fix something online isn't necessarily the same as knowing how to fix it yourself.
Tradies are still getting the call
Despite the temptation to save money by doing it themselves, almost half of Australians say they have hired a tradie in the past 12 months.
Cost of living pressures have not stopped people from paying for professional help, particularly when something needs fixing rather than simply improving.
Essential repairs and maintenance were the most common reasons for hiring a tradie.
The research also found 71 per cent of Australians believe tradies do not get the recognition they deserve, suggesting that while people may occasionally try to avoid calling them, they know their value when it really matters.
Australia needs its tradies
The findings come as Australia continues to face a shortage of skilled tradespeople, with demand for their expertise remaining high.
Kennards Hire marked National Tradie Day by surprising more than 300 tradies across Sydney with food, drinks, activities and gift cards.
Because while there is nothing wrong with having a crack at a DIY job, there is also something to be said for knowing when to put down the toolbox and call someone who actually knows what they are doing.
