Do-it-yourself home improvement projects are probably more common than expected. According to Arbitron, a major media service, an average of 49% of adults in seventy-five cities nationwide made home improvements in the past year. This is according to a new study by Scarborough Research. What can be gathered from the survey results is that consumers in the smaller markets may spend more money on home improvement projects than their larger city counterparts. The top city from those surveyed is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where 59% of its residents began a home improvement project in the past twelve months. Buffalo, New York and Toledo, Ohio ranked in as the second cities surveyed with 56% of consumers initiating a home improvement project in the past year. Some of the other cities with over half of the residents beginning or completing a project include Detroit, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, Syracuse, New York, to name a new. Honolulu ranked in at the least likely to begin home improvement projects with only 37% of its residents making any home improvements in the past twelve months. Other cities performing less than average improvements include Fresno, California (40%), Washington, DC (44%), Chicago (45%) and San Diego (42%), among others.



These survey results can help marketers and others in the home project industry by examining local purchasing and improvement behaviors, which in this case show that it is important to sometimes look in those less obvious places. The survey also found that certain projects are more popular than others. Twenty-five percent of individuals had landscaping work performed or had the interior of their homes painted or wallpapered. However, a very small percentage of consumers installed a home security system or added a pool or spa. Though smaller home projects are popular, it appears that consumers' willingness to spend more on their homes is increasing. It found that thirty-six percent of those involved in a home improvement project spent over $3,000, as compared to thirty percent in 1999.

The study also found that over half of consumers remodeled their kitchens themselves while only four percent paid a professional to do the work. It could be gathered that do it yourself projects (DIY) are becoming increasingly popular. Other DIY projects include interior painting or wallpapering (78%), remodeled bathrooms (61%) and landscaping (76%), On the contrary, home security systems rank high as work performed by a professional installer at 81%. Other jobs usually performed by a third party include heating or air conditioning at 76% and carpeting, tile and floor covering at 63%.

Finally, the study also found that internet users are more likely to make improvements to their home. For example, those spending more than $1,000 or more online are nineteen percent more likely to engage in a home improvement project. Interestingly, the study also found that individuals who listen to ‘70s Oldies, Classic Hits, New Country and All Sports radio stations are fourteen percent more likely to begin home improvements.