DIY Survey Results

We received over 4,000 responses to our 3-Question Survey.
The results are in!

Congratulations to Sal Tori from Pennsylvania, the winner of the $100 Amazon gift card!

raised garden bed made with treated wood


We surveyed over 4,000 homeowners to learn if their home construction projects were being planned in the next six months and if they already had completed home construction projects in recent years prior to, or during, COVID.

We were surprised that 92% of the responses were still planning projects for the next six months. Perhaps this is not such a surprise with remodeling industry forecasters predicting continued growth through mid-2023.

Raised garden beds and in-house renovation projects had the most responses for the type of projects planned for the next six months. We knew raised garden/vegetable beds were a popular homeowner project as the topic was among the most visited pages on our website, treatedwood.com, for the past two years.

For prior projects, the highest percentage of responders, 31%, stated their projects were completed in 2021. This correlated with The Home Improvement Research Institute's (HIRI) recent report on professional home improvement product sales with 2021 having the largest increase, 20.4% over 2020. HIRI stated, "These increases are a reflection of the continuous increase of renovation projects. Factors like the pandemic, the strained housing market and increased interest rates all play an important role in why homeowners may focus on home improvement projects."

LIRA Q3 2022 projections

The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) part of the Joint Centers for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University reported on October 20th projected gains in remodeling and maintenance expenditures in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, then an expected decline by the middle of 2023. Abbe Will, Associate Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program with JCHS said "Although remodeling market gains are expected to cool significantly next year, homeowners still have record levels of home equity to support financing of renovations."

Our 3-Question Survey Results

1. Do you plan a home construction project in the next six months? (4,094 responses)

Yes - 92% of responses are planning a home construction project in the next six months.

No - 8% are not planning a home construction project in the next six months.


2. If so, what type of project is it? (3,899 responses)

#1 - 15% Raised garden bed

#2 - 15% In-house renovation

#3 - 12% Fence / fence repair

#4 - 9% Deck / addition / repair

3. Have you completed a home construction project? If so, what year? (4,093 responses)

31% - 2021

27% - 2020

22% - 2022

17% - Prior to 2020


Need Project Plans?


Check out these project plans and more with links to FamilyHandyman.com and MyOutdoorPlans.com.

Popular treated wood projects


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Ecolife and Preserve logos from Viance


Proven long-term protection

Ecolife® treated wood is preserved with a non-metallic, environmentally advanced preservative, DCOI, for above ground use.

Preserve® CA treated wood is preserved with soluble copper azole and is available in ground contact and above ground use. Check the end tag for appropriate use.

Available through Lowe’s, 84 Lumber and independent lumberyards across the country.