Extremely competent

Asked to grade the job they do of maintaining their homes, 80 per cent of the homeowners surveyed gave themselves a "B" or better and 83 per cent described the primary home care person in their household as "very handy" or "somewhat handy." Seventy-four percent say they enjoy home maintenance.
The survey of 1,002 American homeowners was conducted by Sears, Roebuck & Co. in conjunction with the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. It was designed to measure how well Americans care for their homes, probe attitudes about homeownership, ascertain what Americans know about home care, and pinpoint areas where they could use assistance.
Some detailed results
Attitudes Towards Their Homes/Home Maintenance
80 per cent said they grew up in a home where at least one adult was handy.
74 per cent said they enjoyed home maintenance, a great deal (18 per cent) or somewhat (55 per cent).
51 per cent say they have more pride in their homes than their careers (35 per cent).
Among lower income homeowners, 69 per cent have more pride in their homes than in their careers (17 per cent).
89 per cent of higher income households and 66 per cent of lower income households grade their job with household maintenance as either an "A" or "B".
88 per cent of women have been solely responsible for a house, are currently solely responsible or expect to be so in the future.
56 per cent overall say that women are treated with less respect than men are by contractors and service people (men and women tend to agree on this point, by 58 and 56 percent respectively).
32 per cent of male homeowners and 24 per cent of female homeowners believe that home maintenance "is a man's job." Among Americans 65 and older, 44 per cent believe home maintenance is a man's job.
71 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men say they like dealing with home maintenance projects.
80 per cent of homeowners give themselves a "B" or better in home maintenance.
Home Care Knowledge/Preparedness
83 per cent say they or their spouse/partner are handy.
95 per cent have a toolbox in the home.
94 per cent said that they or someone in their household could hang a mirror or art work using a wall anchor.
84 per cent could repair a leaky faucet.
78 per cent could change an electrical outlet or hang a fixture.
75 per cent said they could wallpaper a room, repair a grapefruit-sized hole in the wall or ceiling or paint the outside of the house.
52 per cent have basic home maintenance or repair books.
Use of Outside Professionals
44 per cent- 52 per cent of the men and 39 per cent of the women surveyed -- say their household rarely or never uses outside service professionals.
- 47 per cent because it saves money
- 20 per cent because they themselves do a better job
- 43 per cent refer to friends, relatives or neighbours for information/guidance
- 20 per cent refer to books/references