In recent months, the sluggishness in house prices, and consumer confidence, hammered by ongoing mortgage market crisis especially in the US and the UK, has taken a toll on home improvement expenditures. Although the US government manages to restore consumer confidence and revive the overall housing market by announcing a plan to freeze rates on certain adjustable-rate sub-prime mortgages, the homeowner spending for home improvement and remodeling activities will be thereby influenced with a certain ripple effect.
A Mild Upturn in Home Improvement
By a survey, in the US, homeowner remodeling spending for 2007 dragged and is projected to be 2.3% lower than 2006 while homeowners become increasingly jittered about falling house prices and a slowing economy. They spent nearly $233 billion on home remodeling in 2007, marking a modest 1.9% increase from the record $228 billion spent in 2006. The growth is bolstered by a lag time of three to six months when remodeling activity follows home building. Homeowners canˇ¦t delay a major repair like a leaky roof or a broken faucet after the houses are purchased. In 1997, the home improvement marketplace was estimated to be a $135 billion industry. However, that number has increased to $185 billion in 2007. Some economists predict that remodeling activity in 2008 is expected to grow by 2.8% and may reach another record-breaking year by 2009.
DIY Tools Smile with Growing Female Users
As mounting new houses are built, here come in a renewed passion for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. As weˇ¦ve mentioned before, it is women that drive 75% of the home improvement purchasing decisions in a household. The trend of single women purchasing homes is one of the most notable in real estate market. They regard their houses as valuable long-term investments, which require upkeep and renovations. Instead of hiring a worker to replace a faucet or put up drywall, most female homeowners prefer to do it themselves and save money. We are seeing increasing female shoppers to join the queues in front of home centers. More and more women are getting stuck into DIY than ever before. According to a survey, as purchasing holiday gifts, 48% of U.S. women choose home improvement items, such as hand tools, compared to 39% prefer apparels or jewelry. Now more end-consumers, either male or female, are tackling the work themselves and enjoying doing their own home repairs and renovations. Meanwhile, tool suppliers are adding more features and functions to their products, brainstorming new ideas to make DIY tools more comfortable, easier to use, efficient and safer and aiming for greater productivity, higher quality work and less stress on the users. Experts expect that a real estate slump would reduce the purchase power of professional tool users, but the DIY market would remain higher growth as ever.
Go Home and Do It Yourself
"Homing" trend is still on the move. People is poised to make their home a warm and cozy place furnished with recreational equipments and ambience-oriented materials such as decorations, a flat-screen TV integrated in a piece of furniture, printed screens or elegant lighting fixtures that are inevitable to the taste and quality of modern lifestyle. In the other hand, Always, things in home will break and need repair. And quick, inexpensive and user-friendly DIY tools not only fix the problem, but also add the beauty of a home. Beside the price, DIY tool quality is increasingly promoted to value-added professional tool grades and comes with growing focus on ergonomic, intelligent and long durability designs.
Hand Tools- Practice Makes Perfect
DIY projects by hand tools are often time-consuming. But many of the tasks are traditionally done exclusively with hand tools as much more efficiently and quickly than with power tools. DIYers believe doing your own home improvement projects gives them all the control, and can ensure the project turns out exactly as you want it only for pennies on the dollar. They also have fun and enjoy a sense of achievement when their projects are finished by continuous practices and improving skills. Nowadays, there are so many reference resources available for the do-it-yourselfers, including popular print and web-based resources and classes at home improvement stores. Apart from an increasing use on home improvement projects, vehicle average lifespan is longer also promote the sales of hand tools in automobile after-sales market. Electronic products forging tools are in great demand, especially adjustable wrenches. The common problem of annoying "external rust" on tools has spurred the application of special stainless steel on tools, which is underlined by innovations such as a novel combination spanner series without galvanized surface treatment and welded fully from stainless steel screwdrivers and bits.
Power Tools- Smarter Ideas for Housing Renovation
Powered by electricity, batteries or air for use in building, construction and home improvement, power tools are can accomplish almost any task a hand tool can do and improves the speed and efficiency of the craft. The differences between DIY power tools and professional power tools are on function and design. Basically, the professional models have increased power and the ability to perform under more stress than consumer tools and can withstand heavier workloads. Power tools are big business. In the US market, the sales are predicted to surpass $11 billion by 2010 by driven by strong demands on electric saws and pneumatic nailers and cordless power tools. The technological improvement and innovation spotlight on dust collection, laser-enabled products, ergonomic enhancements, high-tech anti-theft technologies, the inclusion of lithium-ion batteries, and redesigns allowing multiple tools to share the same battery source. Advances in Lithium-Ion technology have revolutionized cordless power tools making them lighter, more powerful and more reliable.
