Home improvement is about empowerment. As the founder of DIY HIP Chicks, Beth Allen uses her expertise, humor, and a lively and approachable teaching style to make DIY education both practical and accessible for women. “I keep it real and I keep it fun,” she says. She helps homeowners take control of their house through her in-person and online workshops, YouTube channel, private mentoring, and TV and radio appearances.
Growing up in a blue-collar household, Beth was always handy from a young age. She and her mom were often DIYing home projects together. She was 10 when she scaffolded wallpaper with her mom. At 15, she and her mom cut a hole in the wall to install an electric fan to move heat upstairs from a woodburning stove in the family room. By 17, Beth was replacing faucets. She initially chose to be a nurse, because it was the career path she always dreamt of. Nursing led to becoming the director of nursing at a retirement home. Beth loved her job, but when she became pregnant at 23, she and her husband knew the schedule wasn’t sustainable. Choosing to stay home meant adjusting to a tighter budget, but it also gave her time to explore new skills. She taught herself home repair while her 3 boys played together. She read books, tackled projects, and asked questions. “The guys at Home Depot were great!” she says.
“Going from nursing to home repair – they’re both a matter of problem-solving,” she explains.
Beth believes that understanding the basics of home maintenance is essential for every homeowner, especially women. Too often, she sees women hesitate to take on home repairs out of fear of making a mistake or because they think they lack the strength. Most projects come down to strategy, not strength. “Women don’t have the same upper body strength as men. That is the only disadvantage. We have the same mental capacity to figure things out, to problem solve, to execute,” she says. In some cases, being smaller is an advantage, “It’s often easier for us to do plumbing because we can fit under the sink cabinet easier than a big guy with big hands.”
Beth wants homeowners to understand how their homes function. “Even if you're not going to do it, being able to articulate what the problem IS - is really powerful,” she explains. Knowing how to describe an issue to a contractor can mean the difference between an expensive, unnecessary repair and a simple fix. One of Beth’s students faced a $1,400 bill from a contractor for a simple garbage disposal installation, which should’ve cost less than $450. She had no choice but to pay because she felt intimidated and unable to argue. Beth uses this story to emphasize the importance of understanding basic home repairs, not just to save money, but to avoid being put in a powerless position.
Beth teaches in her 8-Day DIY Challenge that a little knowledge can prevent disaster. Participants find where their main water shutoff valve and the GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) outlets are located and why that’s important. Knowing this can save homeowners hundreds or even thousands of dollars from calling a plumber or an electrician. Another challenge is to take photos of each room in the home, extremely useful for dealing with disaster insurance claims. She talks about smoke detectors, where they should be, how many you should have. She teaches about the circuit breaker box and changing the heater filters and the furnace. She also advises keeping receipts for expensive materials so the homeowners can receive the compensation they deserve.
Beth is adamant that home maintenance is as fundamental as self-care. “You have to be able to manage your own health and take ownership of your own body. Same thing with your house,” she explains. “For 90%–99% of Americans, our home is our biggest financial asset. If we don’t take care of it, when we go to sell it, we have less value.”
Beth has witnessed the transformation when women gain confidence in their DIY abilities. She remembers going on a house call where a young newcomer had been avoiding cleaning the dryer duct. “She said, ‘I’ve been feeling guilty that I needed to do this for the last five months, and this was going to be hard, and I was afraid to do it.’ And I said, ‘It’s not rocket science.’” After guiding her through the repair, the woman was thrilled at what she had accomplished. It’s moments like these that keep Beth passionate about empowerment.
Despite their DIY hesitation, Beth insists that mistakes are just part of the process. Fear of failure shouldn’t be a roadblock. “They're afraid that they don’t know what they're doing. They're afraid they’re going to screw something up,” she says. “I make a hole in the drywall. So what? It’s drywall. It can be patched.” Even complex repairs, like electrical or plumbing work, become manageable with the right preparation. “You just need to put in a little bit more thought - read up, watch videos, educate yourself,” Beth encourages, "And aren't you tired of waiting for someone else to do it?"
Beth offers resources through multiple platforms. She teaches three courses a year at BCCC, runs an 8-day DIY Challenge on her website, and provides hands-on instruction through her online Home Hacks series, which includes quick, digestible lessons. Her YouTube channel has over 30,000 subscribers and 5 million views, with a library of more than 700 videos covering everything from basic repairs to advanced projects. She also provides live coaching sessions and house calls and helps homeowners gain confidence by working alongside them on their projects.
Beth Allen is changing the way women think about homeownership by shifting the narrative from dependence to self-reliance. In her classes and workshops, women aren’t just learning how to fix things; they’re learning how to trust themselves. With the right knowledge and support, there’s no home improvement project you can’t accomplish.
This May, Beth will bring her expertise to Media through Zoom. The event will focus on drill skills, one of the most fundamental aspects of home repair.
diyhipchicks.com | youtube.com/user/DIYHIPChicks
Becoming a DIY Hip Chick at any age saves you money and frees you from depending on others for help.