Follow the money

In the fities and sixties few home owners had the time, skills or inclination to tackle home improvements. They had better things to do. 'You've never had it so good' quipped Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Home ownership was low. Those who could afford it employed tradesmen. Those who couldn't did their best. It wasn't fun or fashionable to do it yourself. ICI Paints' tagline 'Say Dulux to your Decorator' said it all.

In the seventies Do-It-Yourself was fashionable, fun and rewarding, the smart thing to do even if you could pay someone to do it for you. The pendulum swung so far that even if you had paid for it, it was smarter to pretend that you hadn't.

The trade held on to some electrical, plumbing and roofing, but few skills were beyond DIY. Many 'professional DIYers' boasted that they did a better job. Work began to run out and professional tradesmen became thin on the ground.

As affluence spread and homeowners became confident they tackled larger projects. Makeovers and self-build became fashionable, fuelled by television and the dream of a better, affordable lifestyle. Homeowners managed projects that included both DIY and trade. Makeovers were fun, but just as the Sheds were sweeping all before them, the steam started to go out of DIY. It was no longer fun. It saved money, if you had the time, but the results were often a let down. Bodged jobs knocked thousands off house prices.

The demarcation lines between DIY and trade have blurred. DIY sheds serve homeowners and tradesmen and aim to recapture lost ground with hard landscaping, kitchens and bathrooms where homeowners buy the product and get tradesmen to do the work. BIY (Buy It Yourself, and get someone else to do it) became DFY (Done For You), as every fashion needs the stamp of a new label.

Standard Life Bank conducted a survey showing that more than nine in ten men planned to employ a professional tradesman in the next 12 months. Having better things to do with your time was an issue, but preserving the value of your increasingly valuable property was also important. It's OK to bodge, but not when it cuts the value of your principal asset.

The High Street is gloomy this year, but is the trend to DFY responsible for B&Q's poor 2005 sales? B&Q's plan to set up a chain of dedicated trade outlets may signal frustration at its slow penetration of the professional trade market. Or it might be concern about the gap they'd have to fill if the public starts to go off DIY.

DFY is not new, but it's unlikely to be exactly the same as it was in the past. Follow the money is a sound principle, but how ready are builders' merchants to compete for DFY?