The Woman DIY Homeowner

These shows have clearly inspired more women to pick up the hammer and saw and tackle home construction and home repair projects on their own. And it’s fantastic to see!

My wife has been a woman DIY homeowner for years. She has worked side by side with me on home remodeling and construction projects since we were married 27 years ago. She helped me finish two unfinished homes and build another one, each involving framing, insulating, electric and plumbing, hanging drywall, taping and mudding drywall, installing doors and windows, and interior trim work. Today she now tackles projects on her own when I’m at work or traveling. She’s done her own chair rail installation, tiling, interior painting, and wall papering. Heck she even removed two toilets and reinstalled them when a flooring contractor needed them removed to install the Linoleum. In every case she did a fantastic job. The work looked like it was done by a professional, or better.

Over the years I have spoken to many men and woman who have commented that they don’t dare tackle a home remodeling project on their own because they are unsure of how to do a particular project or afraid they’ll make a mistake. My response to them has always been most home improvement projects are easier than you think and so what if you make a mistake or two along the way. The cost of making the repair on your own, even if you have to fix a couple of your mistakes along the way, is often a heck of lot cheaper than hiring a contractor.

For example, installing a ceramic tile floor on your own is a heck of a lot cheaper to do than hiring a contractor to do it, even if you do make a few mistakes in the process. So what if you spend a few extra dollars trying to make the perfect tile cut. The cost of a few extra tiles is a heck of a lot cheaper than hiring a tiling contractor. On top of that, once you’ve learned the skill you can tackle more tiling projects around the home, and in the process add sweat equity to your home.

A tiling project is just one of many home improvement projects that the woman DIY homeowner can tackle on their own. Installing light fixtures, making plumbing repairs, installing insulation, and painting are all well within the easy DIY repair and home improvement category of jobs that women can tackle on their own. Women are also capable of bigger home remodeling tasks, such as framing and hanging drywall. However, like men, they’ll need an extra pair of hands or two to help lift and hold heavy items. There really are no limitations for the DIY woman homeowner, except in the mind. Another major factor that has helped to empower the woman DIY homeowner is websites like HomeAdditionPlus.com. The internet is filled with helpful how-to advice on virtually every type of home remodeling or home repair project.

So gone is the excuse for not knowing how to do something. Albeit, there is some craftsmanship that can only be acquired by personal experience. However, with the basic knowledge for a particular home repair or home remodeling project, the average DIY homeowner, man or woman, can do a respectable job on it. And often they can do a better job than many contractors who really don’t care about perfection as much as the homeowner does.

Really, have you ever looked very carefully at some of the work that contractors have done for you? Examine door and window trim installation, as well as kitchen cabinet installation. Then check out the routing of the electrical wires and plumbing pipes in your basement. I bet you 10 to 1 that after close inspection you’d probably realize you could’ve done a better job.

So if you’re a woman who wants a home improvement project done, and you don’t have the money to pay a contractor or the experienced DIY’er husband to do it for you, grab your tool bag and do it yourself. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish on your own with the right attitude, a little upfront knowledge, and the right set of tools.