Don't be a tool when it comes to DIY

For most of us, it starts with good intentions. Getting a job done at a fraction of the price it could cost to pay a tradesman, giving it that "personal" touch and knowing that when it is all done we can celebrate our skilful part in its completion.

On the whole - adding in a few cross words, minor hiccups and many much-needed cups of tea - that is pretty much the long and short of a DIY task. But then there are the exceptions.

"I once had a customer who managed to blow his kitchen worktop off by doing a bit of DIY," explains city plumber Chris Cummings, of Cummings Plumbing.

"He had tried to plumb in a washing machine but forgot to take out the transit bolts. If they're not removed, they shake violently when the machine is switched on and in this case ended up forcing the surrounding cupboard apart and blowing the worktop off."

Chances are, a lot of people will be doing a spot of DIY this weekend, making the most of the Friday and Monday bank holidays to get to work on those tasks that have been niggling away at the back of their minds for most of the year.

If you don't really know what you are doing, though, it could end in disaster.

"The most common problems I'm called out to involve people laying floors themselves," explains North Fettes-based Chris. "There was once a couple who hammered a nail through a pipe in the process. Then there was another similar situation but that time the homeowner didn't know how to turn their water supply off, so there was a lot of damage, particularly to the two flats below.

"I remember one couple who had fitted a bath themselves and tiled around it, only to find when they stood in the bath it was unstable and they basically had to start again, removing it and some of the tiles.

"It probably would have cost them the same amount of money if they had called someone in to help at the start."

The advice of most tradesmen is this: if you know what you are doing, crack on. If you don't, particularly when it comes to gas, electrics and plumbing, call in some help.

The Yellow Pages is packed with details of local professionals who can help you out, often at prices that may come as a pleasant surprise.

Of course, you can also learn some of the tricks of the trade yourself by enrolling in classes at various colleges across the city. But if time is not on your side, perhaps it is not worth taking the risk of either injuring yourself or doing serious damage to your home, garden, or a neighbouring property by tackling a job you are not capable of.

"I'd advise people not to attempt something they are not qualified to do. Simple stuff, yes, but the rest, no," says Alan Paterson, of Clermiston-based Paterson Home Improvements. "It's definitely around this time of year that most people try to do things on their own, usually with a husband thinking he can tackle something only to be told by his wife to stop and call in help. That's usually the scenario."

Problems with walls, flat-pack furniture and joinery are some of the most common scenarios Alan and his team are called out to rectify.

"I remember there was a man once who wanted to attach new skirting to a wall," he says.

"However, instead of just taking the old skirting off, he ended up ripping off half the wall meaning it had to be re-plastered.

"Sometimes I end up scratching my head, wondering how a job ended up getting in the mess it did."