Resources for Women Interested in DIY Home Improvement
When I make a trip to my local hardware store, I usually do not see many women perusing the power tools section. However, it seems that many women ARE taking on home improvement projects- perhaps some out of necessity and others out of interest and desire. After all, there is a sense of accomplishment that is felt at the conclusion of a project. In many cases, there is also a cost savings. These are things that can be appreciated by both men and women.
It didn't take much research to discover that there are online communities that are dedicated to women in home improvement. These are usually facilitated by women for women and contain articles and videos covering the spectrum of DIY topics sprinkled with encouragement.
Here are a few sites that I uncovered during my research:
BeJane.com: This site's tag line is "The Women's Home Improvement Community for Do-It-Yourself Projects, How To's, Tips, and More". The articles that I read were well written, thorough, and included pictures. The forums don't seem to get much traffic. In a press release, BeJane.com stated a few interesting statistics:
- Single women own nearly 1 in 4 homes in the United States
- Women influence 91% of all home purchasing decisions
- Women initiate 80% of all home improvement projects
- The women's home improvement market is $70 billion+ and growing
- There are more than 55 million female homeowners between the ages of 18 and 54
I don't have any information on how the statistics were derived.
Today's Modern Woman: It's not the prettiest site and the information doesn't seem to be organized very well, but there is quite a bit of information here. Also, they do have a search capability.
The Women's Toolshed: This is one example of a female DIY blog. The author achieved a level of mastery in a male dominated industry. The articles primarily focus on carpentry.
If you are looking for tools for women, here are two links to get you started:
barbara k!: sells tools geared towards women
Tomboy Tools: also sells tools geared towards women. They even have pink tools! You can also become a distributor (think Tupperware parties, but with tools).
Jon
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