DIY Disputes: The Good, The Bad, and The Fugly

Emily is right—adulting is HARD, y’all. Buying stamps. Writing in cursive. Doing all the things yourself

What has the world come to? How do we make sense of it all? 

In a word: 🤮.

Here at Taskrabbit, we’ve had the sneaking suspicion that ‘doing it yourself’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Being the inquisitive creatures we are, we conducted a survey that questioned the effects of DIY on relationships (defined as partners, friends, family members, or other). 

So without further ado, here are the results:

☠️ Nothing. There is nothing good about DIY. Sorry. ☠️

👋 Hello DIY move? Goodbye relationship! 👋

  • 40% of respondents say moving has caused an argument in current or past relationships
  • 38% say moving has led to either the end of a friendship, a break-up, a split or break, or a divorce
  • 32% of single respondents say moving has caused a break-up, split or break in a current or past relationship
  • 22% say it has ended a friendship


🤬
Why won’t you help me?!?!?! 🤬

  • 51% of consumers who typically take on 3 or more DIY projects a year say they have gotten into an argument with their partner(s) over a project
  • 58% of respondents who live with their partner(s) say they have gotten into an argument with them due to a DIY project
  • 24% of all respondents say they have argued with a family member (parent, sibling, or child) over a DIY project, while 18% say they have argued with their friend(s) 
  • 18% say a DIY project has caused the end of a friendship, a split or temporary break, a break-up, or a divorce

🪛 Assembly and painting and moving… oh my! 🪛

  • The most common DIY projects that respondents say have caused an argument with someone are moving large items like a bed or sofa (26%), painting (23%), and assembling furniture (23%)
  • 47% of Americans say that they neglected to finish between 1-4 DIY tasks in the past year due to an argument that occurred mid-project

🥶 Would you like that argument with a side of ice? 🥶 

  • Almost a quarter (22%) of respondents say the longest they have gone without speaking to someone after an argument regarding a DIY project is between 10 to 30 minutes
  • While 21%  say the longest they gone without speaking to someone is between half a day and 3 days

🖼️ Save the mounting for the bedroom (😘) 🖼️

  • More than a quarter (27%) of DIY mishaps involve drill damage, such as drilling into the wrong place or hitting a pipe or cable when hammering or drilling into a wall
  • 53% of overall DIY mishaps involve wall décor mistakes – paint spillage when redecorating, crooked or unstable shelving, wall damage when mounting pictures, or wallpaper being put up wonky

🩹 Gen Z-ers can’t hang* 🩹

  • 33% of respondents 18-24say they have accidentally injured themselves or their partner(s) during a DIY project – and are more likely to say so than other age groups(16% NET)

 

Well, there you have it, folks. The data overwhelmingly points to DIY as a major DON’T when it comes to friends, family, love, and well, life in general. So do yourself a favor and book a Tasker.  

*This article was written by a millennial (nuthin’ but love for Gen Z, tho)

diy fml-option2

 


Methodology

Taskrabbit conducted a survey of 1,001 individuals aged 18 and older in the US, capturing census representation across gender, age, region, and ethnicity. The survey was fielded using the Qualtrics Insight Platform and the panel was sourced from Lucid. Fielding took place in April 2022.

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