DIY Mistakes Cost Homeowners $1,171 on Average, Report Says
A new Angi survey says most DIYers hit trouble. Here is what that means when you weigh doing a job yourself against hiring a pro.
Doing a project yourself can save on labor, but a new survey suggests the savings often come with a catch. Fixing a botched DIY job is expensive, and for several projects the pro price is smaller than the cost of getting it wrong.
What the report found
According to Good Housekeeping, Angi's "Home Oops Report" surveyed 1,000 US homeowners. Roughly 78% of those who had tried DIY said a project had taken a bad turn. The jobs ranged from plumbing repairs to putting up a fence.
The cost of those mistakes is the headline:
- Homeowners spent an average of $1,171 to fix a single DIY error.
- 43% said the fix cost more than $500.
- Across three years, the average total spent on project blunders was $3,166.
The article says the usual causes are a job that looked simpler than it was, a lack of the needed skills, and surprises that forced a call to a professional. Angi's co-founder is quoted as advising homeowners to know what they can handle and to deal with small problems early.
Note that this is a survey of homeowners' own reports, and we have not seen the full study.
What it means for project costs
A fix bill of $1,171 matters most when it is compared with what the professional version of the job costs. Here is where the numbers sit for projects people commonly consider doing themselves. All figures are before sales tax.
| Project | Typical pro cost | Usual range |
|---|---|---|
| Interior painting | $3,000 | $2,350 – $3,900 |
| Fence installation | $4,000 | $3,100 – $5,200 |
| Flooring installation | $4,300 | $3,350 – $5,600 |
| EV charger installation | $2,400 | $1,900 – $3,150 |
| Water heater replacement | $1,900 | $1,450 – $2,450 |
Our figures are built from labor hours multiplied by local rates, plus materials, and checked against market prices and real quotes. So the labor share is the part you save by doing it yourself. It is also the part you pay for twice if the work has to be redone.
Where DIY is a sensible bet, and where it is not
Painting is the classic case. Mistakes are visible but cheap to correct, and the pro price for [interior painting](Interior painting) is modest. A weekend of effort can save a real share of it.
Fences and flooring are more mixed. Poor post spacing, uneven ground or bad subfloor prep can force a tear-out. If you are weighing it, see our guide to Fence installation and the materials table below, since material choice changes the stakes:
| Material | Typical | Usual range | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet vinyl | $2,450 | $1,900 – $3,150 | 10-20 years |
| Carpet with underlay | $2,550 | $1,950 – $3,300 | 8-15 years |
| Laminate | $3,250 | $2,550 – $4,200 | 15-25 years |
| Microcement / polished concrete | $3,250 | $2,550 – $4,200 | 20-30 years |
| Luxury vinyl plank (LVP/LVT) | $3,400 | $2,650 – $4,450 | 15-25 years |
| Cork | $3,450 | $2,650 – $4,450 | 20-30 years |
| Bamboo | $3,800 | $2,950 – $4,900 | 20-30 years |
| Engineered wood | $4,050 | $3,150 – $5,250 | 25-40 years |
| Porcelain / ceramic tile | $4,300 | $3,350 – $5,600 | 40+ years |
| Solid oak | $4,850 | $3,800 – $6,300 | 50+ years |
| Natural stone (marble, travertine) | $6,100 | $4,750 – $7,950 | 50+ years |
Electrical, plumbing and structural work is a different category. Those changes usually need a local permit, and a mistake can mean redoing the work, and sometimes a failed inspection. An EV charger on a panel with no spare capacity, or a water heater switched to a new circuit or gas line, are jobs where a pro quote is usually the safer route. See EV charger installation and Water heater replacement for what those jobs cost.
How to decide
- Price the pro version first. Use the guides above to get a realistic number before you buy tools and materials.
- Add a mistake allowance. If a typical fix runs past $1,000, a DIY saving of a few hundred dollars may not justify the risk.
- Check permits. Ask your local building department whether the work needs one. Unpermitted work can cause trouble at sale or insurance time.
- Split the job. Many people do demolition, prep and painting themselves and hire out the technical parts.
- Act early on small problems. A minor leak or crack costs less to handle now than after it spreads.
Check any quote you receive
If you decide to hire, compare the offer with our figures. Our "is my quote fair" tool lets you test a quote against the live cost model for your project, so you can see whether it sits inside the usual range or well above it.
Cheaper is not always better either. A very low bid can signal skipped steps, and a high one may include extras you do not need. Ask for an itemized quote so you can see labor and materials separately, and compare each line.
The survey does not say DIY is a bad idea. It does show that a failed attempt tends to cost more than most people expect, so it pays to be honest about your skills before you start.