With the rise in popularity in DIY and Home Improvement
television more and more people are trying their hand in doing their own home
repairs and remodeling. What these popular television shows don’t show you is
just how physically demanding some of these repair jobs are. Not to mention,
most are extremely difficult to both perform and master. Most Americans simply
overlook how hard this work is required for most modern contractor jobs.
CraftJack wanted to help the average American understand the
difficulty of today’s modern contractor jobs, both in terms of physical demands
as well as mental demands. To do so, they recently surveyed
over 2,000 Americans (1,609 contractors as well as 652 consumers). The goal
here was to get opinions on both contractors and American consumers to see how
their opinions varied on the difficulty of contractor work. Let’s take a deeper
dive into the results of the hardest contractor jobs survey from CraftJack.
The analysis looked at which trade jobs demanded the most
strength, endurance and technical skill. The first part of the analysis asked
both consumers and contactors which jobs were the most physically demanding.
Interestingly enough, there was agreement from both consumers and contractors
on the top two most physically demanding jobs. They both said that roofing jobs
were the most physically demanding trade jobs followed closely by demolition
jobs. Contactors said that carpentry was the third most physically demanding
job while consumers failed to have carpentry in their top ten.
Behind carpentry, contactors listed drywall &
insulation, home cleaning, masonry, electrical, excavation, landscaping trees
& shrubs, flooring, ceilings, cabinets and countertops, plumbing, carpet
cleaning, painting and straining and junk removal as the most physically
demanding trade jobs in America. Rounding out the top three most physically
demanding trade jobs according to consumers, was drywall and insulation,
excavation, landscaping trees and shrubs, masonry, junk removal, stone &
tile, carpentry, ceilings, electrical work, plumbing and swimming pools. As you
can see there is quite a bit of contrast when looking at the lists from both
consumers and contractors. While they agreed on the most physically demanding
jobs at the top of the list, there was little agreement afterwards.
Physical demands are only one part of the job. Some trades
are also extremely difficult to master and require a lot of mental focus and
discipline as well as years of education and on the job training. Because of
this the second part of the survey was centered around asking both consumers
and contractors which trade jobs were the most difficult to master. Once again
there was agreement between consumers and contractors. They agreed that the
three hardest trade jobs to learn and master were electrical work, carpentry
and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). After the top three there
was once again disagreement between contactors and consumers between the trade
jobs that were the most difficult to master.
According to contactors, the most difficult trade jobs to
master were electrical, carpentry, HVAC, cabinets & countertops, masonry,
plumbing, drywall & insulation, cleaning, flooring, stone & tile,
ceilings, carpet cleaning and excavation. Consumers agreed with contactors on
the top three choices but had disagreed otherwise. They ranked cabinets and
countertops next, followed by plumbing, masonry and drywall and insulation.
The last part of the survey was focused specifically on
contractors. Contractors were asked multiple questions about their specific
job. Questions asked about both physical demands and how long it took them to
master their trade. One thing that most contractors agreed on is they didn’t
find electrical work, carpet cleaning or painting jobs to be physically
demanding, unless of course they specialized in that trade specifically.
Painters actually said that their job is more physically demanding more than
any other contractors! Flooring contractors said that their job was the hardest
to master of all the trades.
Listed below are the breakdowns of contractors who
identified their own specialty as the most demanding as well as the breakdown
of contractors who identified their own specialty as the most difficult to
master.
Most physically
demanding contractor jobs *Contractors who identified their own specialty
as the most demanding:
- Painting & staining (61%)
- Carpentry (54%)
- Electrical work (54%)
- Carpet cleaning (49%)
- Cabinets & countertops (45%)
- Cleaning (44%)
- Flooring (43%)
- Windows & doorways (43%)
- HVAC (40%)
- Landscaping, trees, shrubs (36%)
Most difficult
contractor jobs to mater * Contractors who identified their own specialty
as the most difficult:
- Flooring (36%)
- Cleaning (30%)
- Carpentry (27%)
- Carpet cleaning (21%)
- Landscaping, trees, shrubs (20%)
- Painting & staining (20%)
- Cabinets & countertops (18%)
- Windows & doorways (17%)
- Drywall & insulation (16%)
- Electrical (16%)
The full breakdown and analysis of the hardest contractor
jobs from CraftJack also be seen in the graphics below.
infographic by: craftjack.com
