WHY BOTHER?

I realize the title of my first post sounds a little negative, but so many homeowners give up on home repair. They look at a task, find it daunting, give up, and call a repair person. I prefer to do my own work, if at all possible.

Next to my sons and their families, the focus of my attention is my home located in the West Central Neighborhood. I have lived in my home for over 12 years now, ultimately purchasing it in 2001.

My home originally was a duplex, but I converted it back to single family in 2002, the year after I bought it. I was fortunate that my home had not been hacked up like so many homes in West Central. The house next to me is a "twin" to my home. My home and that house were built by the parents of two siblings who married and needed homes. The parents lived in the third house from the corner and divided the west side of their lot into two smaller parcels which would each hold a 2200 square-foot house. My home has two full stories with the attic providing an additional 1000 square feet.

My goal for this blog is to provide tips and information about repairs, tools, and projects. While I am not an expert, I have worked on my home now for 12 years. I performed only minor repairs and improvements during the time period I rented the lower apartment from 1995-2001. However, once I purchased my home in 2001, I began a journey which continues today. That journey is to restore my home and, in doing so, share with others. I particularly want to encourage women of all ages to undertake the challenge of doing their own repairs and improvements.

After married couples, single women are the largest group of home buyers in the U.S., responsible for 21% of transactions, according to the National Association of Realtors. By 2010, the number of women-headed households is expected to rise to nearly 31 million, representing about 28% of the U.S. total, according to a 2003 Fannie Mae study. In 2005, single women bought one of every five homes sold - that is nearly 1.5 million - more than twice as many as single men bought, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The trend is striking, because in 1981, the number of single women and single men home buyers was virtually the same. Since then, the percentage of buyers who are single women has almost doubled, while the percentage of single men buyers slipped 1 percentage point to 9% last year.

Over the past 50 years, women have become more and more independent. That independence is reflected not only in the growing number of women homeowners but also in the growing number of women who are undertaking home repairs. The satisfaction I get from accomplishing a repair or an improvement is remarkable. Why bother? Because I choose to be independent and rely on my own efforts and skills as much as possible in restoring my home.