This is the question that comes up on nearly every job we do. The kitchen tap is dripping — do we fit a new cartridge or replace the whole tap? The washing machine is making a noise — is it worth calling out an engineer, or is it time to write it off and buy new? The garden gate has dropped on its hinges — screw and pack, or take it down and build a new one?
There isn't a single right answer, but there is a framework, and once you know it the decision usually makes itself. Here's how we think about it on site.
The 50% rule
The rough industry heuristic is that if repair costs more than 50% of the replacement price, replace. It's not a hard rule, but it's a useful starting point. A £400 washing machine that needs a £220 pump replacement is on the edge. A £400 washing machine that needs a £220 pump replacement and is already eight years old is a clear replacement.
Where the 50% rule breaks down is on high-quality items that outlive their cheaper equivalents by decades. A £600 mixer tap from a proper manufacturer might take a £180 cartridge replacement three times over its life and still be worth every penny; a £40 tap from a discount store will never justify a £30 repair. Quality shifts the maths.
Age and expected lifespan
The second question is how much life the item has left in it. Rough averages we work to:
- Combi boiler: 10–15 years
- Washing machine and tumble dryer: 8–12 years
- Fridge-freezer: 12–17 years
- Kitchen tap: 15–20 years, longer for better brands
- Radiator: 15–25 years
- Timber internal door: 30+ years with occasional refinishing
- UPVC window: 20–30 years, longer for the frame than the sealed unit
If the item is inside its first third of expected life, repair almost every time. If it's in the last third, replacement is usually the smarter call even when repair is technically possible. The middle third is where the 50% rule earns its keep.
Safety, warranty and regulated work
Some jobs take the decision out of your hands. If a repair would leave a gas appliance non-compliant, or involves electrical work in a bathroom that needs to be Part P notified, or would void the manufacturer's warranty, then the repair route is off the table regardless of the maths. This shows up most often on boilers, cookers, and any electrical work that touches wet zones or consumer units.
Ask specifically: does the repair keep the item legal, safe, and covered? If any of those three answers is no, replace or bring in a properly qualified specialist.
The forgotten option: reuse
There's a third option that gets missed in the standard repair-or-replace conversation, and it's worth mentioning because it changes things when it applies.
We're all told that recycling is the right thing to do, and it is — but recycling breaks something down to make something new, which takes energy and loses material along the way. Reuse keeps working parts working. A perfectly good compressor from a scrapped fridge, a handle from a discontinued line of doors, a section of copper pipe from a bathroom refit — these things end up in skips every day, and they're often the practical answer when the "correct" replacement part is on a three-week lead time from a factory in Germany.
We don't do this on every job. For anything gas, electrical, or under warranty, new certified parts are the only option. But for a stuck freezer over a bank holiday weekend, or a broken door handle on a discontinued line, or a section of guttering on an unusual profile that nobody stocks anymore — thinking about reuse before replacement has saved plenty of our clients time, money, and a lot of stress.
The line to hold is honesty. If a salvaged part is genuinely a like-for-like solution, it's a smart repair. If it's a bodge because the right part is inconvenient, it isn't. That judgement call is what a good tradesman is being paid to make.
Read three real examples of that thinking on our repair and rescue stories page.
Category by category
Taps and mixers
Nine times out of ten, a dripping tap is a worn cartridge or washer — a cheap part and a fifteen-minute repair. Unless the body of the tap is corroded, cross-threaded or badly scaled, repair first. Full replacement is only worth it if you're upgrading style or the finish has gone.
Radiators
A radiator that's cold at the bottom often just has sludge in the system and needs a power flush, not replacement. A radiator that leaks from the body itself, though, is done — the internal corrosion is irreversible and it will only get worse. Leaks at the valve or the coupling are almost always fixable.
Kitchen appliances
The rule of thumb: if the drum, motor, or compressor has gone, and the appliance is over about seven years old, replace. Everything else — door seals, pumps, thermostats, hinges, thermistors — is worth pricing up as a repair. Get the model number and check part availability before committing.
Doors, hinges and locks
Almost always worth repairing. A dropped door is nearly always a hinge or frame issue rather than a door issue. A lock that's stiff or sticking can usually be lubricated or the barrel replaced without touching the door itself. Full door replacement is a job we recommend for security upgrades or damage, not for wear.
Fences and gates
The post is what dies, not the panel. If the panels are sound and the posts have rotted at ground level, replacing the posts (or fitting concrete spurs to the existing ones) is a fraction of the cost of a new fence and lasts longer than the original install did. Whole-fence replacement is worth it when panels are also going or when you're changing the style.
Wooden furniture and joinery
Almost always worth repairing if the piece is solid wood. Refinishing, re-gluing, replacing a broken drawer runner or a split panel — all of it is inexpensive and gives the piece another few decades. MDF and flat-pack items are usually not worth the labour of a serious repair.
When in doubt
If you're genuinely on the fence, get someone out to look at it before you commit. A twenty-minute diagnostic visit costs a fraction of a wrong replacement decision, and it's the specific reason our trip fee exists — to take the pressure off the "should I even ask?" moment.
Frequently asked
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a washing machine?
Depends on age and fault. Under seven years old with a common failure like a pump or bearing, repair is usually cheaper. Over ten years old with a motor or drum failure, replacement almost always wins.
How do I know if my boiler is beyond repair?
The main signals are age (over 12 years), repeated call-outs for the same fault, difficulty sourcing parts, and rising running costs from lost efficiency. A Gas Safe engineer should give you an honest read on whether the next repair is the last.
Do handymen fit customer-supplied parts?
Most of us do, with the caveat that we can't warrant parts we didn't source. If you supply the tap and the cartridge fails in six months, we'll refit but the part is on you. New-build and warranty work is the exception where only certified parts can be used.
What's the environmental cost of always replacing?
Significant. Manufacturing a new washing machine or fridge has a much higher carbon footprint than a repair, and end-of-life disposal is imperfect at best. Repair is almost always the more sustainable option when it's viable.