3 On Your Side: Handyguys Videos Help Homeowners Tackle Projects
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More and more Americans are taking on home improvement projects for themselves. With the growing number of do-it-yourself videos online, 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan finds you may not need to spend money calling in a repairman.
When Paul Costello's dishwasher wasn't operating properly he had three options, call a repairman, replace the dishwasher, or try to fix it himself. So the self-proclaimed un-handyman went online and found a do-it-yourself video. He says, "It was just a cleaning issue, there was just garbage stuck at the bottom here which you have to clean out manually by hand."
Two hours later Paul had the dishwasher working as good as new. He says, "When it gets broken and someone says that dishes are spotty and it's not draining right, I can do this."
Many people are now doing the same thing. Many of them turn to The Handyguys, Brian Peppel and Paul Shane, two childhood friends that started making their own D.I.Y. videos, including the one that helped Paul. According to Peppel, "We are not appliance repair guys. We've had these problem ourselves. We figured them out and we make videos on how to fix it."
From faucet and toilet repairs, to installing doggie doors and home lighting, the Handyguy videos have gotten over a million YouTube hits. Peppel says, "People are trying to save money and feel a sense of accomplishment."
The Commerce Department says American spending on appliance repairs is down 25 percent in the past ten years.
When the brick around his West Chester house needed repair, Paul first called a professional. He says, "we got a price back from a gentleman for $7,000 to do the whole house I didn't need the whole house done, I just needed a section."
So he once again went to the videos and did it himself. The final cost? Paul says it was around $100 and 8 hours of his time. He used the money he saved to take a family trip to Disney World.
For more information about the Handyguys visit:
