New research conducted by property maintenance specialists Aspect.co.uk reveals the most admired everyday skills.
If you can fix a leak or install a washing machine the chances are, you’re a hero to your friends and family, as new research conducted by property maintenance specialists Aspect.co.uk reveals the everyday skills we admire most.
According to the nationwide poll of 2,000 adults, plumbing skills attract more admiration than any other skill, especially from women and over-55s.
Researchers asked 1,022 women and 978 men to rank a range of skills for impressiveness, using a scale of one to ten, with ten being ‘extremely impressive’. The ability to fix a leak is the skill we admire most, with 37% of UK residents giving it top marks and 68% giving it a mark of seven out of ten or higher for impressiveness.
To the UK public, fixing a leak is twice as impressive as the ability to install a smart home device such as a smart bulb, wall-mount a TV, or edit pictures in Photoshop. The second most impressive skill is the ability to assemble flat pack furniture, followed by putting up a shelf properly.
Another plumbing skill also fared well in the study. Installing a washing machine was ranked as the fourth most impressive skill overall, with 27% of all participants scoring it a 10 and 61% giving it a seven out of 10 or higher.
The top 10 most admired household skills:
- Fix a leak
- Assemble flat pack furniture
- Put up a shelf
- Install a washing machine
- Hang blinds
- Change a lock
- Fix a faulty Internet connection
- Hang wallpaper
- Programme a smart TV
- Find bargains online
Nick Bizley, Aspect’s director of operations, believes skills that come in handy during an emergency tend to be viewed most positively when compared to other, non-emergency skills.
He said: “We know from firsthand experience how relieved people are to see a qualified and experienced tradesperson at their door, especially during an emergency situation such as a leak. The same sentiment seems to apply when asking people about the skills they admire around the house. It’s easy to be impressed by a skilled handyman who can put together flat-pack furniture or put up a shelf, but when it comes to emergency tasks, the stakes are that little bit higher.
“While we’d always advise people to call on a professional when they have an emergency problem at home, it’s handy to know some basics, such as how to shut off a water supply via the mains to stem a water leak. This can often be the difference between a maintenance problem and a maintenance emergency.”