That’s MS. DIY to You!

More single women are buying homes and shopping at home improvement centers than ever before. As they do, they are fast becoming a key audience for do-it-yourself information, products and tools. A new survey by Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse shows that a majority of single women homeowners are tackling home improvement projects on their own, both to save money and to gain a sense of accomplishment.

Single women are the fastest growing segment of the housing market, buying homes at twice the rate of single men. They are also starting to do more home improvement projects on their own. In fact, women accounted for more than one-third of all do-it-yourself purchases in 1999 according to the Home Improvement Research Institute. To understand its customers and better cater to their needs, Lowe’s surveyed single women homeowners about the home improvement projects they do themselves.

Mission Accomplished

The study showed that the average single woman DIY-er generally started doing projects herself to save money, but continues to do them today because those projects also give her a sense of accomplishment and have become a hobby. She tends to be more design-focused doing projects such as gardening, landscaping and interior decorating, but isn’t afraid of tackling everyday fix-it projects when needed. To get the job done, she owns the basic hand tools and one or two power tools.

“Most single women may consider themselves novice or intermediate DIY-ers, but they are confident that they can learn to do projects without the help of a professional,” said Melissa Birdsong, director of trend forecasting and design for Lowe’s. “Single women are more self-reliant than ever, tackling all kinds of home improvement projects on their own.”

Drill Sergeant

To finish projects around the home, most single women (38 percent) own basic tools, with a few small power tools. Only 2 percent of those surveyed indicated they don’t own any tools. At least a quarter of the single women surveyed own a collection of basic tools and at least a couple of major power tools.

“As a single woman, I own several power tools and find my drill-driver, in particular, to be essential,” said Birdsong. “It’s great because I can use it for a wide variety of tasks and it makes the entire process faster and more efficient.”

In fact, the drill is the most popular power tool among all single women (57 percent), followed by power saws, sanders and electric screwdrivers. Of all tools, however, single women find hand tools to be the most indispensable. When asked which tool they can’t live without, most women indicated a screwdriver or hammer.

“Owning your own tools gives you the independence to leverage your own strength,” added Birdsong. “Along with the ever-popular drill-driver, a good basic tool box should include a range of products, including a hammer, screwdriver, pliers, wrench, hacksaw, utility knife, tape measure and level.”

Fashion Designer

Approximately three-quarters of all respondents say that their top projects include interior decorating or landscaping. Less than 40 percent say they tackle exterior maintenance projects and only about 10 percent do major renovations themselves.

“This probably has more to do with finances or time than the idea that single women are reluctant to tackle major projects,” said Birdsong. “When asked what projects they would like to take on, but are hesitate to, only 11 percent mentioned a big project such as adding a room or remodeling.”

Friends come first when looking for help or advice on any home improvement project, with more than 75 percent of women turning to them. Other sources of information include magazines, local home improvement stores, books, home improvement TV shows and the Internet. This is true for women of all ages, although women over age 55 are much less likely to turn to the Internet for help or information.

Novice Builder

When it comes to their home improvement expertise, nearly half of all single women say they are novice do-it-yourselfers (46 percent), although more than one-third feel they are at the “intermediate” level. Less than 10 percent feel they are advanced do-it-yourselfers and just 3 percent say they are experts. Younger women are more likely than women over 55 to do projects themselves; however women over 55 who do projects are more likely to call themselves experts.

Nearly one-quarter of single women (23 percent) do improvement projects at least once a month, with more than 10 percent occupied with do-it-yourself projects every week. Those who do projects less than once or twice a year are more likely to be over 55, while those age 18-34 are most likely to be working weekly or monthly.

“In the past, women have been stereotyped as needing a man around to do home improvement projects,” said Birdsong. “This is far from the truth. Most women are confident in their home improvement abilities and have a desire to continue building on their level of expertise.”

Additional Lowe’s Single Women DIY Survey Facts:

* The majority of single women work on their home improvement projects on weekends

* Saving money is more of a motivation for younger women than those 55 and older

* Additional reasons why single women started doing home improvement projects themselves include: learned from parents (18 percent), no one else to do it (16 percent), no longer with person who did it (15 percent) and didn’t want to rely on anyone else (14 percent)

* Twenty-three percent of single women don’t own any power tools

* More than 90 percent of single women indicated that they are comfortable with power tools in general

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