D.I.Y 2

It has been said that D.I.Y has never been a more popular hobby than it is today and if the thousands of television adverts for stockists of D.I.Y materials is anything to go by, seems like not only is this the case, but it also suggests that it has never been so easy to attempt a DIY project in the home We hear the term D.I.Y almost every day and even though everybody who hears it recognizes that the term is the acronym for the phrase ‘Do It Yourself’, giving further definition may be difficult. The official definition for D.I.Y is it is usually a saying used to describe the building, repairing or modifying of anything without the assistance of paid professionals or experts. Although in recent years the phrase has become attached to the Arts and Crafts movement as well as the pirate radio station and indie rock scene, the most frequent use of the phrase is when it is applied to home improvement.

The phrase ‘D.I.Y’ in relation to home improvement jobs attempted by individuals entered everyday use throughout the 50s. Maybe it's said that the creation of VCR's (home video systems) in the 70s gave the D.I.Y ‘movement’ a considerable boost as this allowed consumers to watch audio-visual demonstrations of basic D.I.Y. procedures (created specifically by expert D.I.Y. instructors) in the comfort of their own home instead of needing to attend educational classes (as had been the case in the past). Nevertheless, obviously the most successful advances in the D.I.Y. movement surfaced in the mid-1990's because it was at this time that advice sites and online bulletin boards, made especially for D.I.Y. enthusiasts, emerged on the web and these websites allowed novices to request help, tips and guidance from the experts with regards to D.I.Y projects that they were planning to undertake. The mid 1990's also saw the creation of television shows exclusively catering for audiences of D.I.Y enthusiasts of all abilities as did the emergence of entire channels exclusively dedicated to D.I.Y. Both developments were undertaken in an attempt to draw in the increasing number of D.I.Y enthusiasts undertaking their personal projects (which range from arts and crafts skills such as knitting to full scale home renovation).

The introduction of a more practical and ‘hands on’ culture since the 1950s has led to an enormous increase in the number of D.I.Y stockists from small, privately owned businesses to national and also international chains. This near-surplus in the supply of decorating and other D.I.Y materials (in comparison to earlier decades) means it's never been cheaper to take up D.I.Y.

D.I.Y Manchester, worktops Manchester