Don't avoid doing a spot of DIY...

My mother can often been found on the roof. Whenever there’s a leak or a tile that needs fixing, it isn’t my Dad who rushes for his hand tools; my Mum is the DIY diva in our family home. So, when I recently found myself in an electrical goods shop, asking about electrical fuses, I was proud to be carrying on the family tradition.

According to recent research, it’s not just my family that has upturned traditional roles. Research conducted by Tesco claims women are better at DIY than men with the main reason for women taking up tools is that they are fed up of waiting for their other halves to fix things. Tesco found nearly two-in-three women are now shopping for DIY items – three times as many as a decade ago.

According to a research paper by Dr Rebecca Meisenbach, of the University of Missouri, USA, entitled ‘The Female Breadwinner’, women who earn the majority of the household’s income experience an “overwhelming sense of guilt” that they focus on work rather than the home, reported The Times.

“By highlighting stories of how men have to be told or asked to do specific chores in the home, these female breadwinners are making sure they still fit gender boundaries of a wife as someone who manages the home,” writes Meisenbach. So, simply, sisters are doing it all for themselves.

And DIY is a serious business, a 2004 study by the Social Issue Research Centre in Oxford revealed that there are six dominant factors behind the drive to do-it-for-yourself: necessity, territorial marking, self-expression, leisure, perfection-seeking and therapy (as reported in The Times).

But, to achieve this state of domestic DIY bliss, it doesn’t have to be about power tools, hammers and spirit levels. “DIY doesn’t need to be hard work,” says interiors stylist, Jane Molloy, “I’ve made some of the biggest interior transformations over a weekend with minimum effort and not a power tool in sight. Below, are my five top tips for creating a mini makeover without any DIY disasters.”

Step One

“Paint. Obvious, but it works wonders. Even if you’re painting an area the same colour a fresh lick of paint feels cleaner, looks brighter and gives the whole area a fresh look. If you do want to choose another colour, nudes are very on trend this year and translucent colours complement the majority of colour schemes. If you would like to make an area look bigger, paint a light colour on the walls, if you would like a room to feel cosy and have a romantic ambience, add a deep colour to the walls.”

Add cute pompoms to jazz up your scatter cushions

Step Two

“Embellish. There’s a big trend at the moment for embellishment. Pom poms, feathers, sequins and hand embroidery. Brighten up old cushions with a strip of pom poms, they can be bought fairly cheaply from haberdasheries and they’re easy to hand-sew.”

Step Three

“Rugs transform a room from a minimalist shell to a welcoming home – they can change the vibe of a room from traditional to contemporary in the shake of a rug. They’re also great for hiding worn out flooring and threadbare carpet.”

Step Four

“Now’s the time to plant delicious smelling herbs. Try sewing seeds in olive oil tins and old vintage pots or buy terracotta pots and spruce them up with brightly coloured paints. It’s so easy to create your own little herb garden and seeds can be bought from traditional hardware shops or garden centres and cost just pounds.”

Where to look for advice:

On the web

Instructables is the biggest how-to and DIY community where people make and share inspiring, entertaining, and useful projects, recipes, and hacks. Being one of the most popular web-stops for DIY enthusiasts, there’s a how-to for everything, from how to craft a Japanese bento box to your own furniture.

Courses

Chix and Mortar – If you want to do something a little more hands-on, Chix and Mortar run DIY courses for women. Craig Philips (yes, the once-upon-a-time Big Brother winner) and founder, Collette Dunkley, run DIY courses to help women maintain and decorate their houses – and understand DIY products. Courses from £199.

Tools

Tools can look a bit manly. However, PinkToolboxCo make DIY look a lot more appealing, and, well, pink. For a power tool kit or complete tool box – all in pink, of course – head here.

The Instructables show you how to make a pretty string pendant lamp