Plumbing training apprentices may be pleased to learn that homeowners are being advised to seek professional expertise in order to avoid creating "a lot of damage" by doing DIY tasks themselves.
This is according to Duncan Hayes, who is the temporary editor at Build It, a magazine which contains self-build information, features and case studies.
He said that we now live in a culture where householders pay others to do maintenance and renovation work for them.
His comments may take on new significance in the light of recently-published study by B&Q, which showed that 18 to 35 year olds are less confident about undertaking home improvement jobs than the over-50s due to a lack of expertise and motivation and a fear of failure.
"If you're doing something like replacing a radiator valve - a very simple thing - if you don't know what you are doing and you don't have the right bits of plumbing gear, then you can get in an awful lot of mess and cause damage," cautioned Mr Hayes.