Home Economics: 2 in 3 Americans Tackling More DIY Projects as Inflation Drives up Costs

More than two-thirds of Americans find themselves spending more time at home now than two years ago – and the economy may be to blame. That’s according to a new survey of 2,000 Americans, where 69 percent of respondents remain home due to external factors such as inflation and a looming recession.

With all that time on their hands, respondents have been staying busy by upgrading their homes. Over the last year, Americans have prioritized maintaining their yards and lawns (36%), followed by their kitchens (30%) and living rooms (29%).

On top of that, they spend 50 hours maintaining their lawn, 42 hours caring for their kitchen, 27 hours keeping up their dining room, and 33 hours on their home gym each year.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of TruGreen, the results reveal that the average respondent will give up on a DIY project and call a professional after two attempts – capping their DIY efforts at about six hours.

While it may sometimes be a toss-up between hiring a professional and taking matters into their own hands, there are a few outdoor projects respondents always like to handle on their own. Mowing the lawn (63%) is the top home maintenance chore Americans like to do themselves.

Why would you do it yourself?

When opting for DIY projects, respondents tend to do so because it’s more affordable (67%), they can make sure it turns out the way they want (47%), and they can be creative (40%). On the other hand, respondents tend to hire professionals because they know what they’re doing better than respondents (68%), they don’t have the equipment or materials (35%), and they don’t have the time (23%).

Overall, Americans see more value in hiring a professional than wasting their own time (30% vs 11%).

“Beyond timing, there is a greater technique and expertise required to properly maintain your home. While many homeowners can opt to DIY, there are some tasks such as lawn care maintenance that should be left to professionals,” says Brian Feldman, senior director of technical operations at TruGreen, in a statement. “Without the proper training, homeowners may conduct tasks improperly, which can ultimately cause greater headaches.”

The kitchen was found to be the costliest room in the house, as the average respondent has spent more than $1,100 upgrading and maintaining it. However, Americans invest the most time into their lawns — with the average respondent spending about four hours per month maintaining it, and on average about $880 per year on lawn maintenance.

“Americans spend about 50 hours annually maintaining their lawn, and results showed that respondents would rather spend that time with their family and friends, outdoors or reading a book,” Feldman continues. “It’s best to partner with a lawn care provider who can save homeowners time, so they can spend more time enjoying life.”

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans with a yard/lawn was commissioned by TruGreen between October 21 and October 27, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Source: Study Finds

Chris Melore has been a writer, researcher, editor, and producer in the New York-area since 2006. He won a local Emmy award for his work in sports television in 2011.

Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash

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