From this report, edited for clarity
Three out of five women would prefer advice from Bob Vila, the home-improvement expert, than from talk-show psychologist Dr. Phil, according to a 2004 survey by Sears, Roebuck and Co.
That doesn't surprise Teresa Follmer, a designer with Home Depot in Mesa who hosts many weekend workshops on home improvement.
The lessons from Vila or other home-improvement experts could raise a woman's sense of well-being and self-esteem.
"You get a lot of satisfaction knowing that you can accomplish something yourself," Follmer said. "It's a great feeling knowing you don't have to ask for help or pay someone to do it for you."
Many women even have the correct do-it-yourself tools at their fingertips, though they don't know it.
"What I've learned from teaching the (basic home-repair) class is that many people already had the tools, the power tools especially, they just didn't know what they were for or how to use them," said Greg Christy, the Chandler-Gilbert Community College instructor on home repair and a True Value manager in Sun Lakes.
More women are tackling small fix-it jobs and home-improvement projects, and more want to learn.
"Look at the stats. This is a trend," said Eden Jarrin, co-creator of BeJane.com, a home-improvement Web site for women, and column contributor to newspapers and online media. "Women are owning more homes, and they want to take care of those homes so that they reflect who they are."
Fannie Mae, the largest guarantor of home mortgages, reported that by 2010, there will be 32 million female homeowners, compared with today's 17 million. In addition, 9 percent of homeowners in 2005 were single men, and 21 percent were single women. The do-it-yourself domain has taken notice and spawned an industry of women-friendly tools, books, television shows and Internet sites.
As a result, more women are dropping in on Home Depot repair and project workshops.
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