Homeowners doing their own home renovations and other smaller projects around the house have become a huge industry. According to Technavio – a research firm that tracks the do-it-yourself industry, “the global DIY tools market is expected to grow to a $13.9 billion business by 2021.
Below is a graphic that shows the growth by product category.
So what’s driving the enormous increase? Primarily, the increase in retail venues that sell the materials for Doing It Yourself, like Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware. Their advertising messages urge people to do it themselves with materials from their stores. The media also promotes Doing-it-Yourself with Do-it-Yourself television shows, magazines, and whole YouTube channels dedicated to the subject.
Some people find this type of work in their spare time to be enjoyable and relaxing. Some like it for the sense of creativity. Either way, it is a rapidly growing industry that doesn’t come without some risks.
The Risk of Doing it Yourself
Perhaps the riskiest type of Do-it-Yourself projects involve repairing your own roof. Even something as simple as cleaning out the leaves from your gutters is high-risk behavior.
According to Industrial Safety and Hygiene News, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports 500,000 people fall off ladders per year and average 300 fatalities.
97% of the falls happen in non-occupational settings (ie Do-It-Yourselfers). The combination of using tall ladders and being very high off the ground make this type of work very risky. It is, therefore, best suited for professionals who have the expertise and necessary equipment to keep them safe.
Sometimes Doing-it-Yourself can save a homeowner a large sum of money, but when it comes at such a high risk you need to weigh the benefit of saving money against potential personal injury and possible death.
Below is one of our crews installing handmade, built-in copper gutters on a slate roof. To do this type of work safely, they built a secure scaffolding platform. It is far more stable than using just a ladder.
The Most Risk of Doing it Yourself
Perhaps the riskiest type of Do-it-Yourself projects involve repairing your own roof. Even something as simple as cleaning out the leaves from your gutters is high-risk behavior.
According to Industrial Safety and Hygiene News, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reports 500,000 people fall off ladders per year and average 300 fatalities.
97% of the falls happen in non-occupational settings (ie Do-It-Yourselfers). The combination of using tall ladders and being very high off the ground make this type of work very risky. It is, therefore, best suited for professionals who have the expertise and necessary equipment to keep them safe.
Sometimes Doing-it-Yourself can save a homeowner a large sum of money, but when it comes at such a high risk you need to weigh the benefit of saving money against potential personal injury and possible death.
Below is one of our crews installing handmade, built-in copper gutters on a slate roof. To do this type of work safely, they built a secure scaffolding platform. It is far more stable than using just a ladder.
