Hire or DIY? What Skills Do You Have?

Can you change a flat tire? Write a check? Connect a bluetooth device?

Where do you draw the line from doing at yourself to calling a professional? Hire A Helper surveyed members of different generations to determine what people will and won’t do – and the results may surprise you.

Nearly 60% of all respondents said they would rather hire someone to install a ceiling fan than do it themselves, while 35% would call someone to fix a running toilet and 34% would ask a professional to fix a hole in the wall. However, 86.5% said they can handle assembling furniture on their own, 85.3% said they would be able to unclog a toilet themselves and 77.1% can replace a showerhead.

Beyond handyman skills, what about finance or technology? More than one-third of people said they can code basic HMTL, while 70.7% said they can set up a WiFi router and 82% can connect a bluetooth device. Nearly 90% of people have written a check, 85.2% know how to track their spending and 85% can open a bank account.

However, across generations, results are slightly skewed. For example, 33% of Generation Z said they have never unclogged a toilet and 25% would call a professional to do so. One-third of baby boomers have never connected a bluetooth device without help and 10% of millennials have never written a check. More than one-third of Generation Z members do not know a return address goes in the upper left-hand corner of an envelope.

“Baby boomers may be more apt to DIY their home improvement projects because they have more experience taking care of a home, have the tools and would be saving money in doing so, since they’re more likely to be homeowners overall compared to the younger generations. But, they have less experience with technology because it’s relatively new to them compared to Gen Z, who has grown up with a certain level of technology integrated into their lives. Whereas Gen Z hasn’t had the responsibility of tackling home projects since most are just now leaving home or haven’t left yet,” said Hannah Smith, a project major with Hire a Helper.

What skills are most useful? Baby boomers said creating a budget and unclogging a toilet, while Generation X said jump starting a car and changing a tire. Millennials said jump starting a car and creating a budget and Generation Z cited tracking spending and changing a tire as their must-haves.