Tuesday, May 30, 2006

D.I.Y. will never DIE

I am one hundred percent sure that D.I.Y. will never Die - but have you heard the recent reports that show people moving away from Do It Yourself trends of home improvement? - big stores are declaring staggering losses for the first time in many years on D.I.Y. products.

The buzz is that D.I.F.M. - Do It For Me (or D.I.F.Y. - Do It For You) is taking over many areas of the do it yourself home improvement industry.

One of the Biggest suppiers of timber, hardware, paint and all of the thousands of other great products available in this superstore - now provides around 40 different services that you can contract directly for someone (presumably well qualified) to come and do the improvements for you in your home.

Another of the biggest superstores already has 24 services and is racing to catch up on this latest trend.

While these services will provide professionals from your local area - and I guess you can believe that the workmanship and finish should be of a reasonably high standard - because important store names and reputations are at stake - D.I.Y. just isn't going to fade away.

Having experienced professional help is great - phew what a relief just to get the job done and done right - but there will always be projects that can be done successfuly BY YOU in your home - which will save you money, give you a great feeling of accomplishment and increase your knowledge ready for your next home improvement and financing project.

D.I.Y. will never DIE - forget electical work, plumbing and anything else that you don't have enough knowledge about to do safely and correctly - you can leave those projects to the experts - but what about those kitchen cupboards, your outdoor living area... your Deck Design, Pergola Construction or a great easy to put together Gazebo Kit!

Don't lose heart if you were just planning a new project when you heard these reports - remember... every experienced tiler once upon a time laid his or her first tile - so if you have gathered all the information you can get your hands on and are ready to have a go - go for it (if in doubt - try tiling your laundry room or store room first - give yourself hands on experience in a less visable area.)

Decking is another great home improvement project - you can build a simple ground level deck in your spare time and later build onto it and expand your outdoor living space. (the wonderful smell of freshly cut timber is right up there with freshly cut grass)

Pergolas are just about the quickest, easiest and most economical way to totally change the look of your home - a plain back wall of a home can become a mediterranean paradise in a matter of hours - not ready to dig deep pergola postholes and get started? - why not try an nice small garden arbor first - to build on your experience.

Without a doubt it's easier to contract your project out - the services these superstores offer is a wonderful addition and will provide many people without the inclination or time to renovate or build - the opportunity to also improve their homes and quality of home life...

But, hey - another great reason why D.I.Y. will never die is that if there is no longer any D.I.Y. then there won't be any I.D.T - isn't it wonderful when you actually finish a project to a high standard and you can say "I Did That"

I am ready to stand up and shout - I'm a BOOMER and I LOVE D.I.Y.


About the Author
Susan Eland writes home improvement articles, tips, plans and ideas on the different ways you can improve the value of your home or simply improve the quality of your home life - you can read more articles at Home Improvement and Financing.com