by Linden Walhard

Buying a new (or used) home can be exciting, even if you know that there needs to be work on the home. A “fixer-upper” can actually give you a lot of satisfaction. You can complete the projects on your own time and work within your budget. In addition, you will get the satisfaction of telling everyone that you did the project yourself. The other great thing about completing DIY projects yourself is that you save money.

Interesting Facts on DIY Home Projects: There are many reasons why you should consider a DIY project. First of all, you save money. You may wonder how you can save all that money. Contractors cost money-a lot of money. They do not come very cheap at all. When you pay a contractor, not only will you end up paying inflated prices on the actual supplies that are being used, but you are also paying the contractor to work by the hour. The contractor can often give you a quote on the project before starting, but it is almost always more by the time the project is complete. There is no way to know how much it will cost and you may be quite surprised by your final bill.

Learn to DIY Today: In order to cut out the middle man (the contractor), then consider DIY when you want to get something in your home completed. If you have never started such a large project then do not immediately rule out doing it yourself. You can take classes and learn how to finish almost anything. In fact, your local home improvement store probably offers these types of classes every week. You can learn to install a toilet, put down tile and even install new sheet rock. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are completing the work yourself and that you are saving all the money that you can .

Completing DIY projects around your home is a great way to get just about anything done. Whether you need a new bathroom sink installed or you need your walls in your bedroom painted, you can learn to do it yourself. Make sure you take the time to do it right the first time so you won’t have to get a professional in to fix your mistakes. If you are like most people, you have a tight budget and this is just another way that you can save your hard earned money.

About the Author:

Linden Walhard repeatedly produces short articles on issues dealing with working with router bench and router dovetail jigs. His articles on how to use routers are found on his website .

by Greg Hansward

A recent survey looked at who did the home improvement projects around the house. A very popular media service known as Arbitron carried out this research and came up with some interesting results.

About 49% of adults have actually made home improvements within the past year. It also came to the conclusion that people living in smaller towns are much more likely to spend money on DIY improvements than those in large cities. Whether these people are installing a simple shower curtain rod – straight or curved, or building a new room, DIY is becoming more and more popular.

The city where DIY was most popular was in Harrisburg, Penn. In this town over 59% of the population started their own home renovation project within the last year. In buffalo, NY 56% of the population carried out some form of DIY project on their own home.

Other markets which where DIY was popular included Atlanta, Syracuse NY, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Detroit, Flint MI and Rochester NY. Each of these markets has had over half of the population carry out some form of DIY project within the past year.

On the other end of the scale, people living in Honolulu were the least likely to do any DIY projects, only 37% spent any time improving their homes within the past year. Other large cities did less DIY than average, including New York 48%, Chicago 46%, Miami 45%, Las Vegas 40%, and San Diego 42%.

These surveys have suggested that there are quite a few useful opportunities which companies could use when promoting their products.

The study also indicated that there were certain types of home improvement projects which were much more popular than other types. 25% of people carrying out home improvement projects decorated their homes with wallpaper, or landscaped their garden. 2% of people installed a home security system and only 1% installed a pool to their homes. You can see that there are big trends in the types of project which want to be undertaken.

Small projects are becoming increasingly popular, however people are becoming more likely to spend more money when improving their homes. 36% of people renovating their homes spent over $3,000 which is an increase of 6% since 1999.

46% of people that started home improvement projects are middle aged. 63% of these are married, and 55% of people doing DIY projects earn more than $50,000 a year.

Other interesting facts from the report:

- Users of the internet are much more likely to improve their home. Many people who use the internet to buy products and seek advice are more likely to carry out DIY. - Half of the people surveyed remodeled their kitchens by themselves. Four percent of people paid someone to do some of the work for them. Other popular DIY projects included wallpapering, bathroom remodeling, and landscaping. Popular paid projects where professionals were used included installing a home security system, air conditioning and carpets. - If you listen to classical music, new country or sports radio then you are 14% more likely to do home improvement projects.

About the Author:

Greg Hansward pens especially for http://www.curtains-drapes-coverings.com , an online site about shower curtain hooks . You can find his articles on curved shower curtain rod and shower curtain hooks on his site.

by Greg Hansward

In order to install dry wall correctly and for it to look like a superior done job, the drywall tools used as well as learning to use them correctly is essential. There are a few tools that are necessary for installing drywall. Some of the necessary tool for drywalling are as follows. Both a corner trowel and a plaster trowel should be purchased along with a block sander with sand paper or a hand sander can be used as long as the handle is well made. The sand paper used should be of 100 and 220 grit. For further sanding, it is necessary to have a sanding pole to reach the hard to get surfaces of the ceiling and corners. To install the drywall screws appropriately a cordless drill is necessary as well. Some of the simpler tools but not any less important include: tape measure, utility knife, both 4.5 and 10 inch steel knife, and a mud pan. If possible, the mud pan should be stainless steel to alleviate the problem of rusting. A t-square that is at least a four foot square is necessary so that it can properly be used for dry wall sheets. A keyhole saw is also required for the labor and installation.

Supplies for drywall are just as important as the drywall equipment. Some of the supplies include paper tape, dry wall compound, drywall sheets, screws, nails, drop cloths, and steel ruler. Paper tape is used so that the steel knife moves more effortlessly over it. As well, the drywall compound should be all purpose so that it remains as smooth as possible.

Instructions for using the drywall tools can be found on the internet as well as attending work shops at local hardware stores. One of the key hints that can be given to beginners is to take as much time as necessary to complete the project. The project should not be hastily completed or it will not look professional. The second hint is to form a plan on paper including all accurate measurements. This will allow the number of drywall sheets to be purchased with some extra just in case. It is also a good idea to think about what kind of drywall is needed especially for places that are damp or are likely to have moisture.

When applying the drywall it should be started by the ceiling and then movement downwards. The seams should be as tight as possible and this will help keep the sanding and smoothing later to a minimum. The sheets can be measured with the t-square and then marked with the utility knife and broken in place. The sheets should be put up on the walls in such a way to reduce the amount of seams. The joints are then taped over. Tape firmly and smooth with the finishing steel knife. The knife should be used to smooth compound and the corner tool for smoothing compound in the corners. It should then dry for at least a day and then sanded. The second coat can then be put on and this wait time continued until completion of the third coat. If these tips are used the best results should be obtained.

About the Author:

Greg Hansward publishes principally for http://www.insidewoodworking.com , a website with topics around how to put up dry wall . His contributions on drywall tools are found on his site .