Not all of us can claim to be masters of DIY. In fact, for most of us, the extent of our DIY skills are putting up shelves and little else; but if you are considering doing any DIY work around your home, or even getting in an expert to help you, you should always think about how this will impact on your home insurance. If you make significant changes it could alter the value of your home and more importantly if anything goes wrong, it could mean that you are left out of pocket.

Last Easter it was estimated that there could have been £331 million worth of damage done to homes simply due to DIY disasters. The figures, which came from a leading insurer, suggested that one in five homeowners would create an average of £334 of damage every time they try to repair something around the house without getting a professional in to help.

Refurbishing your home is a great idea in this financial climate; however, if you cause damage rather than improve your home then it is hardly worth doing. Bearing this in mind it may be wise to get a tradesman to do it for you.

Recent statistics found that estate agents felt that many of the jobs carried out to improve the value of a home don't actually do so. In fact, it was found that the sale price of a home could decrease by five per cent if the work is completed to a poor standard.

Regardless of who is doing the work, you need to check your home insurance policy before any work is done. Some policies may not cover work done by a non-professional, leaving you with a major headache if anything goes wrong.

This is particularly true in the case of electrical work. Most work of an electrical nature in the home needs to be done by a qualified professional who will provide you with a certificate to show it has been correctly tested. If your home is damaged by fire due to poor electrical work you will need to show that you did not attempt to do the work yourself.

Any work carried out on your gas system or boiler must also be completed by a professional and certified. You need to check that the person you employ is gas safe registered before they start or it could invalidate your home insurance policy. This is important from an insurance perspective but also for the safety of your family.

Having any work done on your home which alters it significantly should be reported to your insurance company before you start. This is especially true if the work involves digging foundations or removing walls.

Your insurance company will need to know that planning permission has been applied for and that building regulations have been complied with. If any damage is caused to your home by the foundation digging process or the removal of supporting walls, they may refuse to pay for the damage if you haven't told them the work was to be completed.

Once the work is finished you should inform your home insurance company as soon as you can. In most cases it should not affect your policy, but if the value of your home is altered significantly it may.

Property insurance cover, for example, is usually sold on the basis of the rebuild cost of your home; if your home is extended, this rebuild cost will increase altering the type of insurance policy you will need.

Even if you are sure your own insurance policy will cover any work you are having done to your home, it is also essential you check that your builder has their own insurance. If they cause damage to your home they should make a claim against their own policy, not yours. This will prevent you having increased premiums from the claim.

Even minor work will need to be covered by your home insurance policy; always check you are covered for accidents of a DIY nature.

Refurbishing your home is always a good idea, but be aware that doing a dodgy DIY job could do more harm than good. It may not add significant value to your home; it could, though, invalidate your home insurance policy and leave you with a huge bill for repairs. Sometimes getting the right person in for the job is the better thing to do.