While 2 out of 3 of American homeowners believe they are handy and ready to take on popular DIY projects, 1 out of 4 Millennials and Gen Zers won’t attempt changing a lightbulb again.
There’s been a lot of talk about the skyrocketing interest in upgrading and updating home spaces during the pandemic, and the trendiness for DIY home improvement projects is still strong this fall. About 89 percent of homeowners improved their home during the pandemic and 10 percent made an improvement for the very first time, according to a recent survey from Bid-On-Equipment.
One-third of homeowners are planning projects to save money on utility bills, about 20 percent are trying to increase their home’s value, and most are planning repairs. Among the current popular projects are bathroom updates and exterior upgrades.
What have been the typical costs of pandemic DIY projects?
The average cost of pandemic DIY projects was modest at $3,797, and 58 percent chose to DIY. Of those who executed their home improvement project, 27 percent regretted it because it took too long, cost too much, or didn’t meet their expectations.
But, DIYers are still motivated this season to tackle projects around the house. About 39 percent of 6,500 homeowners surveyed by Modernize are pursuing home improvement projects with 72 percent of them budgeted for $5,000 or less.
Repairs is the biggest motivation for the home work. The two other popular reasons for planned projects are: 37 percent of projects planned to help save money on utility bills and 19 percent of projects planned to increase the home’s value.
How handy are homeowners?
Not every homeowner claims to be handy, but according to a recent HomeAdvisor survey of nearly 2,100 homeowners, 85 percent enjoy doing home improvement projects and 65 percent consider themselves handy.
The HomeAdvisor survey found that the five most popular DIY projects American homeowners prefer to do are:
- Unclogging a toilet
- Unclogging a drain
- Assembling furniture
- Painting a room
- Replacing a showerhead
What are the most popular projects by state?
The popularity of DIY projects vary by state. As many have reported an increase in upgrading outdoor spaces and exteriors of homes, Google search data agrees. Exterior projects were the most popular in 20 states.
Most of the southern states in that group of 20 had painting the home’s exterior as the popular project. For northern stats in the group, the exterior projects included fences and other outdoor privacy and security.
The most popular interior project is a bathroom remodel, with it ranking the highest in 16 states.
What projects are American homeowners comfortable DIYing?
However, when asked about the projects homeowners are most comfortable doing, the answers were a little different. The five most popular DIY projects that Americans are comfortable doing are:
- Changing a lightbulb
- Assembling furniture
- Unclogging a drain
- Changing smoke alarm batteries
- Unclogging a toilet
When do homeowners call a building professional for help?
Even though 2 out of 3 homeowners believe in their handy skills, 73 percent of homeowners reported that they have abandoned at least one DIY project and hired a professional to help complete it.
The five most popular DIY home projects that homeowners hire a professional to tackle are:
- Installing wood floors
- Replacing a toilet
- Retiling a shower
- Removing a popcorn ceiling
- Fixing a leaky pipe.
And then there is the list of most popular projects that American homeowners find challenging.
What are the common DIY projects do American homeowners avoid?
The most surprising part of the survey is the projects that American homeowners won’t attempt again. I had to look at this data several times with a perplexed face and squinty eyes. This is a list that I’d expect most homeowners to DIY.
All of the DIY tasks on this list take less than 5 minutes, if you have common household supplies and tools on hand. If you don’t have them, all are less than $20 and easily found on Amazon or at The Home Depot. The supplies include a lightbulb, plunger, batteries, and HVAC filter.
On reason may be that some may have super tall ceilings. Reaching a lightbulb or smoke detector may be a challenge if a homeowner doesn’t have a tall ladder or confidence to climb one.
Still, actively avoiding changing a lightbulb as the most popular project to avoid by Millennials and Gen Y concerns my DIY soul. I grew up with the sometimes funny, and occasionally offensive lightbulb changing jokes.
Lightbulb joke example:
Question: How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?
Answer: One. Actors don’t like to share the spotlight.
What DIY projects are we planning this fall at our home?
Mark and I aren’t taking on a bathroom or upgrading our exterior. And even though I’d like to freshen up ours, we aren’t painting our kitchen cabinets, which Google shows at the most popular project for other Pennsylvanians.
We’re replacing a malfunctioning sump pump, adding a fresh coat of paint to a few rooms, updating our living room furniture that’s been well-loved and more-than-well-used, and planning a fireplace surround with wood stove. Building a new compost bin also is on that list.
Painting our American Foursquare‘s stucco exterior and building a he-shop-she-shop shed in our backyard is on our tentative list for spring. We are also planning to dismantle and sell our custom wood playset.
Our kids have grown past the playset years, and now our gorgeous wood playset is not used as much anymore. I still use the swings and like to hang out on the upper deck in the warm sunshine with a book and drink, but we don’t need an entire playset for those two activities. And our backyard shop can have an upper deck and we have a back porch swing, too.
What projects are you planning for fall?
We’d love to know your reaction to the surveys, and how you feel about Millennials and Gen Y avoiding changing a light bulb.
Send us a note or share a comment below.
