Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 16, 1999 04:21am | #1

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   Hi Fred,

   A TV show with you, Gabe, Gene, and Joe in the panel would undoubtedly be very entertaining.

   It could be called the "Jerry Springer" show.

   joking

   jim

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 16, 1999 04:26am | #2

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   It would be brutal. . . wouldn't it! ;-}

   Joseph FuscoView Image

2. 
   CDM | Jun 17, 1999 09:38pm | #3

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   OK, here is one more opinion... I totally agree with Fred about why the shows are out there but that isn't why we/I watch them. I watch them because there is nothing else on worth while. I am basically stuck to a few chanels on my TV. Sports, and Home remodels shows. I myself love fixing something up myself instead of paying someone else to come in and do it for me. Home fix it shows give me ideas and maybe an idea of an easier way to get a task done.

   Although for as much as I watch I probably only do about 2% of what I see. So it comes back to would I rather watch sex, violince, and drinking on the local chanels or watch someone create something beautiful with their own hands.

   Craig

3. 
   Guest_ | Jun 19, 1999 01:32pm | #4

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   Pam,

   I think that there are a number factors at work here. The first is that man, the creature, is disposed to build. The do-it-yourself movement is a reflection of this.

   The second is a continuing trend to self reliance. People want to be in control of there lives.

   Certainly cost is an issue. For many people, the only way to get something is to DIY.

   Finally, building products are more friendly today than they were years ago. Today, the plumber on my current job glued up all the underslab DWV for a 2,000 sg ft house, a job that would have taken a week with lead and okum. The most obvious is the 4'x 8' sheet of plywood or dry wall. Very few "handy people" would have considered plastering a wall but hanging and finishing sheet rock - no problem.

   People in some of the trades may wince at the following, but for a lot of people today, the decision to hire out some jobs has less to do with skills and more to do with the availability of time or tools. Nothing is more frustrating to some of us than paying to have a job done only to find out "I could have done that myself."

   In short, DIY shows are a response to interest and the availability of products that people can use themselves to get a good result. I also think people watch the DIY shows out of curiosity, they want to know about these things even if they have no inclination to doing hands on work.

4. 
   Rebeccah_ | Jun 20, 1999 12:17pm | #5

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   I've been watching the DIY shows avidly for the last 2 years, as well as buying and reading a lot of books on construction and renovations. There are several reasons. To learn how to actually do some of this stuff myself is way down on the list. Sure, I like to putter around and fix things when they break, but I don't have the time, tools, or skill (or the tolerance for a job poorly done) to tackle any of the major projects on my own. I am, however, having a new home built this year, and that makes the topics themselves inherently interesting (especially since I wish I did have the time, tools, skills, and tolerance for the learning curve). Furthermore, these shows and books, as well as this site and a host of other internet sites, generate ideas and questions for discussion with my architect and my builder, and allow me to converse intelligibly with them. The whole design and planning process is taking a lot longer than I had thought it would, but the house I get in the end will better match my needs and wishes as a result.

   If I weren't building a new house, I'd still find these shows interesting, but I wouldn't be actively channel surfing to find them at every spare moment.

5. 
   pam | Jun 20, 1999 12:17pm | #6

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   I am a student writing a dissertation on the growth in popularity of DIY, decor, home furnishings and DIY television shows. Any comments or ideas as to this increase in popularity or ideas of people I could contact would be appreciated.