Summer has arrived in the UK, and homeowners up and down the country are thinking about crossing a few items off their DIY to-do lists. Whether we’re replacing, repairing or simply redecorating, the better weather and longer daylight hours make summer a big time for British home improvement projects.

Of course, doing it yourself doesn’t mean getting it for free. There are always costs and risks involved in DIY, so getting your tax refund squared away should be Job One.

The reality of DIY spending

On average, UK summer DIY bills stack up to between £1,200 and £2,500. About 40% of that budget goes on garden work, which naturally tends to surge in the warmer weather. Just take a look at a few of the most common costs to see how an average tax refund pay-out of £3,000 could make all the difference:

  • Outdoor decking: £800-£2,000
  • Garden landscaping: £1,500-£4,000
  • Home extensions/conservatories: £3,000-£15,000+
  • Kitchen updates: £2,000-£8,000
  • Bathroom renovations: £2,000-£8,000

Beyond the price tag

DIY’s in our culture – just look at all the TV shows dedicated to it for proof! A few well chosen renovations or additions can help you make the most of big life changes, like a growing family or the kids leaving home. On top of that, you’re actually increasing the value of your property, often by as much as 10%-20%. Renovating your kitchen alone can be worth around 80% of what you spend on it, while garden improvements can pay back 50%-70% of their costs by raising your property value.

Of course, this all depends on things going well – so keep an eye on the risks and costs you’re lining up when you decide to go it alone.

Common DIY pitfalls

A typical British household is stuck with up to 16 botched or abandoned DIY projects. Worse still, over 60,000 of us are admitted to hospital per year because of a DIY foul-up. That’s before we even consider the financial damage. Collectively, we’re blowing through £30 billion a year on DIY projects, with an average botch costing £200 to fix such as:

  • Andrew, a software engineer, started out by trying to clean his kitchen grout. He cracked a tile, then broke the stove top trying to fix the damage. Undaunted, he had a go at replacing the stove top, but in doing so he brought the ventilation hood down. Climbing a ladder to mend that, he dropped a hammer through his kitchen sink, smashed his entire counter top and then broke the oven door as a grand finale!

  • Dan, an enterprise analyst, was replacing a wall clock when he drilled straight into the water mains. By the time he’d found the valve to shut off the flow (inside a cupboard in another room) his kitchen was flooded, his toolbox full of water and his flooring was wrecked. On top of all that, repairing the ruptured pipe meant smashing through a wall and about a foot of plaster.

  • Estate agent Derek took on the challenge of replacing his family’s bath. He got the old one out with no major problems and things were looking good. The trouble was, the new bath couldn’t be rotated into position in the small bathroom. Derek ended up taking out an entire wall to set the bath in place – a bath he promptly broke by setting up a ladder inside it to paint the new wall.

In the end there’s just no replacement for expertise. If you're not sure you know what you're doing you’ve probably picked the wrong tool for the job.

So yes – we’re talking about tax refunds again. Here are just a few DIY tax disasters we’ve turned into success stories for our customers here at RIFT:

  • RIFT turns £2,000 in fines into a £12,000 refund
    David, a builder, came to us with £2,000 fine for unpaid Corporation Tax. His accountant didn't have the expertise to get the job done, so David’s company profits were calculated far too high. His accountant hadn't reported any of the tax David had paid throughout the year, either. RIFT got his £2,000 fine wiped out and a £12,000 refund from HMRC on top.

  • RIFT reclaims £8,416 refund instead of a £700 fine
    William, another construction worker, was wrongly hit with fines and penalties totalling £700. We contacted HMRC, calculated the CIS tax William had already paid and made sure all his tax and VAT was cleared. William walked away with the penalties cancelled – plus an £8,416 refund for overpaid CIS tax.

  • RIFT turns a £10,000 debt into a £6,000 refund
    Landed with a £10,000 debt to HMRC, Paul immediately called RIFT. His debt resulted from some heavy fines from the taxman, and meant he needed to file Self Assessment returns for the last 3 tax years. We fought Paul's corner for 4 months until his and penalties were completely cleared. HMRC dropped its case against him and paid out a £6,000 refund.
    What DIY projects could you tackle with £3k?


When you claim your tax refund with RIFT, you’re getting back cash that should be yours to spend however you want. That could mean a complete garden makeover, some quality decking with custom lighting or even a serious bathroom update. The one place that money shouldn’t be going is the taxman’s pocket.

Don’t become another dodgy DIY statistic

Obviously, you won’t land yourself in a hospital bed from filing a bad tax refund claim, unless you’re doing your paperwork really wrong. Even so, you won’t get back everything you’re owed. Talk to RIFT and let the experts get your money back. You could even use your pay-out to fix that leaky shower fixed or roof!

Use our free tax refund calculator to get started today.