The coronavirus quarantine has enabled many to get handy around the house. Sure, streaming on Netflix and other entertainment sources is way up due to staying indoors and social distancing measures, but forgotten hobbies such as reading, knitting, and baking have seen huge spikes since we all took shelter in March.
Millennials, especially, are taking advantage of the time — perhaps more than any other generation — in an effort to enhance their skill sets or to remodel dingy apartments into places that resemble something more.
A new study conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Bernzomatic found that Millennials have been the busiest during quarantine tackling home improvement projects since March, more than any other homeowners surveyed for the report.
The study, which polled 2,000 homeowners across all generations, found that 81% of homeowners have taken on home improvement projects since the start of the pandemic. While nearly half of the respondents said the DIY projects have kept them busy while nothing else could, 65% of those polled said their projects have allowed them to save money instead of spending it for someone else to do it.
Since March, the average homeowner interviewed in the survey has attempted at least four different projects to improve their homes, saving more than $160 doing it themselves rather than hiring a second-party.
The most popular home improvement project for American homeowners during quarantine has been painting the house. Whether it be the new home office or just painting the house new again, 32% of respondents have tackled a fresh paint job. Twenty-nine percent of respondents decided to get outdoors for a bit by redecorating or working on landscaping projects.
Just over a quarter of respondents said they re-caulked bathrooms or windows, while 24% even went further by re-tiling their kitchen or bathroom.
Perhaps the biggest reward of home improvement projects isn’t just completing something on your own, but grabbing the confidence to do more with what you have. Seventy-three percent of homeowners who took up DIY-projects said they felt resilient enough to take on more projects, with 67% saying they actually look forward to more projects soon.
“There is nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment after your first successful DIY project to make you want pick up the toolbox and search for the next,” Janna Stanford, senior marketing manager at Bernzomatic, said in a press release. “These past few months have inspired people to finish that project that may have been sitting on the to-do list. From backyard patio renovation to removing caked on caulking, paint or rust, a torch is the tool that can be used in endless ways for projects around the house.”
With the holidays coming quickly, homeowners said they were eager to take on remodeling tasks such as a new lighting system, bathroom renovations, and kitchen renovations.
Others aimed to take matters outside their homes by fixing driveway cracks or even improving patio landscape, while others said they’ll get crafty this holiday season by creating handmade gifts or completing woodworking projects.