Billings is a Top Ten Small City for DIY Projects. Here’s Why

Summertime is typically a busy season for home repairs or improvements in Montana. Some projects are much easier when it's not snowing and -5 degrees outside, like installing new windows or reshingling your house. And nobody really wants to build a new deck or fence in January, right? Yes, professional homebuilders can do just about anything year-round, but we average Joe-types choose to wait until summer.

A new report ranks Billings as the #6 small metro area in the nation for DIY.

The folks at Porch.com recently looked at various metrics and concluded that we love to do things ourselves in Big Sky Country. That probably doesn't totally surprise you, but I was somewhat shocked to learn that Montana has the highest percentage of hardware stores, appliance stores, and furniture stores in the nation at 8.54 per 10,000 people. Billings has 7.47 per 10,000 residents. You read the full report HERE.

"Get er done" is more than just a catchphrase in Montana.

The report also noted a big uptick in do-it-yourself home projects during COVID, which isn't much of a shocker. I feel Montanans have been fixing things ourselves for a long time. Perhaps part of it comes from our agricultural heritage, where a farmer's duties usually include hours and hours in the shop.

Maybe it's because we're thrifty.

Why pay someone to do it, when you can do it yourself? I kind of draw the line at major electrical and plumbing repairs, mainly because it's beyond my comfort level, but for just about everything else I'll give it a shot. Thanks to YouTube, anyone with a modicum of aptitude can learn how to fix or repair stuff. It might not be perfect (and it will surely take you longer than hiring a pro), but with the right tools, you can probably get it done on your own.

What's on your DIY list this summer?

I don't have any major improvements planned at my house. I'm contemplating pouring a cement patio slab on my own. My only experience with concrete is from when I briefly worked for a contractor when I was in high school... but there's always YouTube, right?