According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, the residential remodeling market, which consists of spending on improvements and maintenance to the owner and rental stock, reached a new high of $424 billion in 2017 growing over 50 percent since 2010. Home improvements and repairs can be costly. However, there are many small home repair, improvement, and maintenance projects homeowners can do themselves with basic tools and knowledge. 

In an effort to educate homeowners on basic home repairs, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Service Family and Consumer Science program developed a lesson leader training called Basic Home Improvement. This training was taught to Extension Homemaker leaders in the nine counties of the Bluegrass Area and covered topics such as basic tool selection, determining the practicality of projects, and evaluating your home improvement budget.  

92 leaders attended the training and will return to teach their fellow club members, resulting in over 2,000 people receiving the information. After attending the program, 97% of attendees said they improved their knowledge of basic home improvement. Additionally, 98% indicated they plan to use what they learned in their home. By applying their new found knowledge and of home improvement, these educated consumers will save money in the long run by performing basic home improvements, repairs, and maintenance themselves. 

Feedback from participants in the program indicated they would like a more hands on class to build confidence in their skills. As a result of this, a hands on basic power tools class is being planned for the month of October and is a collaborative effort with our 4-H Youth Development program.