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'Nobody was going anywhere initially except to Home Depot and Lowes': COVID isolation gives rise to DIYers

Many turned to 'do-it-yourself' projects while quarantined in 2020.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — In 2020, many people picked up new hobbies to pass the time at home.  Some baked, some crafted, and others put in work around the house.

“So, if anyone is looking for a cheap contractor, new floors, I’m your guy," Isaac Gadson said.

He said his home project turned out beautifully.

"I put hardwood floors in, first time ever doing it, like, YouTube, and it came out pretty good!” he added. 

Credit: Isaac Gason
Isaac Gadson's hardwood floors.

“Nobody was going anywhere initially except to Home Depot and Lowes,” said Mitzi Guthrie who did a DIY project at her home with her husband Rich. 

“We had two areas between our house and the next house and we rocked it," Mitzi said. "Well, first, you get all the grass and stuff off it and then the landscape fabric and then the rock and then we planted the area and that took a little while because I don’t work very fast anymore.”

Credit: Mitzi Guthrie
Mitzi's finished project outside her house.

Randall McPherson owns a bathroom remodeling company and said they’ve had a significant pickup in business since the pandemic started in 2020. 

“A lot of people are home right now, they’re in their bathroom a lot and kind of saying, ‘Hey, we need to remodel, we need to replace this,’ and that’s what we do,” McPherson said.

Lake Murray realtor Cat Thornton said more people were looking at lake properties to have fun with family and friends and be outside. 

“A lot of people came out of the woodwork because they wanted lake property, they wanted to get out on the boat and be outside because they couldn’t go anywhere else,” Thornton said.

Meanwhile, Isaac told News19 his reason for doing something different. 

"My girlfriend was doing a ‘honey-do' list so I figured I’d just do my own list," he said as he laughed. "I just feel like, if we as people learn how to do things and keep our time, then we’d be better.”

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