How times have changed!

Majority of Homeowners Struggle to Fix Household Problems Without Google

Recent data suggests that millennials are buying older homes and try to fix them up by themselves. The Home Improvement Research Institute reported that two-thirds of home improvement projects are completed without professionals. Millennials in particular are possibly emboldened by programming they see on HGTV, mistakenly believing DIY renovations can be completed quickly and easily. However, a recent study completed by equipment rental platform BigRentz finds that only three in five adults can fix household programs without Google.

The survey reported 38% of Americans are unable to fix simple household maintenance issues without using the internet. Respondents reported being unlikely to install drywall anchors, patch holes in drywall, and replace leaky faucets at a much lower rate still.

According to the survey, 85% of participants over the age of 65 said they could accomplish at least one of the tasks BigRentz asked about, and male respondents generally were more confident regarding home repair tasks than female participants. Additionally, nearly half of the 18-to-24-year-old respondents, representing the millennial cohort that is frequently buying fixer-uppers, said they were unable to perform any maintenance tasks without consulting the internet. The BigRentz survey took 1,000 answers from U.S. homeowners 18 and older and post-weighted responses to provide an accurate and reliable estimation of the total population.

The BigRentz survey is the latest survey to highlight the futility of many DIY projects. A survey completed by ImproveNet in late 2018 found that 63% of homeowners who attempted to complete home improvement projects themselves regretted at least one project. The study also found that one in three DIY renovators had to call professionals to redo botched work. An analysis of DIY projects by Porch in early 2019 found that such projects result in a high rate of injury. Projects involving ladders result in nearly 200,000 emergency room visits per year, while projects using hardware, nails, and screws result in 124,000 ER visits annually, according to Porch.