CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — Eager to save money, homeowners are more willing to get their hands dirty with home-improvement projects these days. But the DIY route isn’t always the safest or cheapest. ”Especially with money being so tight, it’s totally understandable that people want to take on projects themselves that in other periods they would have hired someone to do,” said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council, a Washington nonprofit dedicated to preventing home-related injuries.