Some 25-odd years ago, I sent the family to the beach for the summer while I, all by my lonesome, refurbished the home manse.

I removed outdated wallpaper. I patched drywall in some places and replaced entire walls in others. I painted practically every room, and replaced every doorknob, lock and hinge in the joint. I had never done this kind of work before, but I managed to do it all without hurting myself.

Turns out, I was lucky. Many do-it-yourselfers, especially rookies like me, aren't as fortunate. In 2020, according to new research, more than 290,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries resulting from home improvement projects. And some 24,500 ended up being admitted.

In other words, while doing the work yourself can save money and stimulate your creative juices, it can also be dangerous. You can quickly lose a finger if your circular saw runs amok, get a traumatic brain injury if you fall off a ladder, or end up on crutches for a while if you drop a gallon of paint on your big toe.

The study -- published by insurance comparison company Clearsurance and based on data collected from the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System -- found that 3% of all ER visits were the unintended result of working around the house. Lacerations were by far the most common injury, followed by fractures, then contusions or abrasions. Fingers, hands and eyes were the most commonly wounded body parts.

More than 9,000 injuries chronicled in 2020 resulted in amputations, while nearly 7,500 were injuries to internal organs. Poisonings numbered more than 2,500.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with tackling home projects. But you should know what you are getting yourself into. If you have no experience, then look online for how-to videos that offer basic instruction. As an alternative, purchase a book or manual that you can refer to as your work progresses, or take one of the many classes offered by hardware stores and home improvement chains.

Before you start, you should have a rudimentary knowledge of the tools you'll be using -- especially if power tools are involved. Make sure you have the appropriate safety gear on hand, including gloves, eye protection and a face shield. Hard-toed safety shoes are a must, while flip-flops and fabric sneakers are verboten. And wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to help protect your skin from flying debris, even if it's too hot for them under ordinary circumstances. Remember Ben Franklin's advice: an ounce of prevention ...

Speaking of prevention, if you are going to use a ladder, even a relatively short six-footer, check it first for loose or broken joints and steps. Only use it on level surfaces, and be aware of your surroundings in case you fall off or have to jump.

If, at any point, you realize you're in over your head, step back and reconsider. More than a few hapless homeowners have spent more to have a professional come straighten out their mistakes than they would have had they gone the pro route in the first place. For example, if your replacement door or window isn't hung properly, water intrusion could result in costly damage to your walls, floors and insulation. Ditto for roof shingles.

If you wind up hiring someone, make sure they are licensed, bonded and insured. Even the pros are not immune to accidents.

Finally, make sure you have insurance and that your coverage is up to date. In the Clearsurance report, insurance attorney Anastasia Allmon advises do-it-yourselfers to make sure their insurance will cover them if they get hurt.

"There are a lot of insurance companies (that) will consider making your own home improvements as a kind of reckless endangerment, and you could possibly find yourself uncovered in the event of an emergency," says Allmon, of personal injury firm Farris, Riley and Pitt in Birmingham, Alabama.

Check to make sure you are covered before you start. If you're not, it may be worthwhile to pay a premium to add coverage. "That's definitely going to be your best option, no matter how safe you try to be," the attorney says.

Even the perils that are covered could come with limits. So be aware that the concept of willful endangerment could put you over that limit.

As the world turns, so, too, does the housing market -- and right now, the market is slowly but surely turning in favor of buyers. As a result, sellers are likely to see the return of contingencies: those conditions that must be met in order for a contract to be valid.

While a contract can be contingent on almost anything -- Maryland agent Margaret Rome once had a sale dependent on the buyers' parents' approval -- we're largely talking about home inspections, appraisals, financing and the need for the buyer to sell their current residence.

Over the last few years, buyers all but abandoned those safeguards in an effort to beat out competitors. The market was so hot that buyers basically threw all caution to the winds, hoping they weren't paying too much, that they could qualify for a mortgage and that they weren't buying a place with major, costly defects.

Up until a month or two ago, sellers were in the driver's seat, able to practically dictate the terms under which they would accept a buyer's offer. Now, though, buyers are regaining the upper hand. Competition is dwindling. The number of houses for sale is growing. And many sellers are lowering their asking prices.

There's still a way for sellers to maintain control of the process, though. By demanding a "kick-out clause," you have the right to terminate a contingency-laden contract if another buyer comes along and offers a deal without any such strings attached.

Of course, a seller can't simply say, "Hey, I got a better deal. See ya." The first buyer must be given a certain period of time to remove the contingency. But if they don't, the seller can move on to the next. They'll have to return the deposit, but otherwise, the deal is canceled.

The use of kick-out clauses, sometimes known as bump or release clauses, is not universally popular. One agent calls them "an empty bag" that simply mucks up the deal. Another says he dreads them.

Other agents swear by them, though. "As long as there is a contingency," says one advocate, kick-out clauses put sellers in "the negotiating position they dream of."

Says another: "It really wouldn't be wise to stop marketing your home for a 'maybe' contract, and that's exactly what a contingency contract is: a maybe."

But while kick-outs do, indeed, favor sellers, longtime Massachusetts RE/MAX broker Bill Gassett says they also help buyers.

Knowing they can force a buyer's hand makes it more likely that sellers will accept offers with a contingency, Gassett says. And by being able to negotiate price and terms beforehand, buyers will know exactly how much they need to net from selling their current residence.

With a kick-out clause in place, sellers can (and should) continue to show their properties to prospective buyers. And should one come along that doesn't have a place to sell or doesn't need financing, they can give the first buyer so much time -- usually 24 to 72 hours -- to remove the contingency.

If they don't act in time, you can void the contract and move on.

Of course, if the first buyer removes the contingency within the stated time frame, the seller has to continue to closing. Even if another buyer offers more money without other stipulations, a deal is a deal.

The idea is to prevent a buyer from dragging their feet through the process. "Fish or cut bait," says one agent.

All contracts stipulate that the buyer must complete certain tasks within a certain period. Sometimes, though, those deadlines come and go without any discernable progress.

If a deadline is missed, the seller can cancel the sale. But with no other offers in sight, most sellers decide to hang in there, waiting and waiting -- and maybe waiting some more -- until something happens. A kick-out clause lets sellers push buyers to move ahead or drop out.

"With a kick-out clause, the seller has the best of both worlds," says Gassett, who has frequently posted online on the topic. "He has a buyer on the hook, as well as the ability to continue looking for something better."

About the only drawback for sellers is that their second buyers may need a decision right away. Since sellers have to give their first buyers a reasonable period of time to remove their contingencies, the second buyer may not be able to wait. Consequently, sellers could lose a buyer who is willing to make a better offer.

Sellers can invoke a kick-out for any reason, Gassett told me in an email: "Usually it is because the second buyer does not need to sell a house and can close quicker. However, it could be for any number of reasons, including a higher price."

But, he warns, the wording of your kick-out clause can be a little tricky. While many multiple listing services have standard, fill-in-the-blank kick-out clauses, it's always best to work with an agent who has enough experience to ensure the language is correct. And you may want to consult an attorney to be sure the clause says exactly what you want it to say.

"A kick-out clause does increase the complexity of the purchase contract," Gassett says. But it helps you "avoid handing over all the power to the buyer."

Messy kitchens. Concierge services. Coworking spaces. Connections to local businesses.

These and other features are the amenities housing professionals are recommending that builders and developers offer homebuyers going forward.

"What consumers want in a community is shifting, requiring master plan and rental community developers to rethink once-standard amenities and respond to changing needs," says Maegan Sherlock, a research analyst with the John Burns Real Estate Consulting firm.

Take the messy kitchen. Most of us already have one, every time we cook. But that's the point of a "messy kitchen" -- a small annex off the main kitchen that helps keep the main one clean and looking like a showpiece. After all, today's kitchens, with furniture-grade cabinets, granite or quartz countertops and decorative light fixtures, are as much a fashion statement as Jimmy Choo heels.

The messy kitchen houses "those everyday small appliances that see regular use without cluttering those beautiful countertops," explains architect Deryl Patterson of Housing Design Matters in Jacksonville, Florida.

A huge proponent of a second kitchen, Patterson has one in her own house, which she says she uses "all the time." It's where she starts the day making coffee -- but she now wishes it included a sink and a pull-out trash can. Without a sink, Patterson has to walk to the main kitchen's island for water to make her brew. Afterward, it's back to the main kitchen to dump the grounds. Don't ask how many times her filter has broken on the way to the trash can, she says.

Not only is a small second kitchen practical, it's relatively inexpensive: pretty much just cabinets and running water.

Beyond second kitchens, the Burns firm's trend-tracking research suggests three low-cost, high-impact amenities that developers might want to use to attract today's young homebuyers.

First: concierge services. Hotels have long offered this type of assistance: Walk up to the concierge desk, ask where to find a good Italian restaurant or the nearest complete gym, and get an answer on the spot.

But the concierge performs other tasks as well. He or she can arrange events on your behalf, book excursions and transportation, make restaurant reservations and even respond to complaints by taking the appropriate action.

That's exactly what Sherlock sees in the future for housing developments -- at least those large enough to afford it. She says conciergelike services that ease the demands of everyday life will allow homeowners to tend to other priorities.

She also likes the idea of a community-based rental service where folks can check out fishing rods, bicycles, perhaps even lawn mowers. Such an amenity would allow residents to take advantage of seasonal sports like skiing and kayaking without having to purchase and store the equipment.

It's all part of the "sharing economy" today's young buyers have grown up with, Sherlock says. So is the idea for a community-based workplace for those who no longer need to commute to a distant office. And it works for those who don't have enough space in their homes for a dedicated office as well as those who just want to get out of the house.

Sherlock says a coworking space, maybe in the community clubhouse or as a stand-alone building, will meet the needs of the work-at-home set, 40% of whom will otherwise set up their laptops in their kitchens, spare bedrooms or basements at least one day a week. Such space might even go beyond the standard conference room "by providing remote workers the option to rent soundproof rooms or equipment like green screens and lighting," Sherlock suggests.

If providing coworking space isn't in the cards, she likes the idea of partnering with nearby companies that offer such services. "A discounted membership is a great way to support your community," she says.

Linking residents directly to other local services is also a good way of building support. Perks like discounted spa and fitness club memberships, deals at local restaurants and stores, and maybe even happy hour bargains at nearby craft breweries can help people explore and become a part of the community, she says.

Meanwhile, Sara Gutterman of Green Builder Media suggests that builders upgrade their outdoor living amenities. "People are tired of being confined to the indoors, and are looking to design sustainable outdoor living areas to relax, entertain and garden," she says. "In an unpredictable and confusing world, homeowners are finding solace in their porches, yards and gardens."

And finally, builders should consider adding a small space for homeowners' pooches. Patterson says several of her staff members wish they'd had the foresight to build a better place to store their pets' food, toys and bowls. One even wants a doggie shower in the garage where his dog can shake off excessive water.

Patterson's own house has such a dog shower: It's waist-high and features warm water and a high-powered blow dryer. Her husband scoffed at the idea when they built their place a few years ago, but now he loves it. "What used to take an hour per dog now takes 30 minutes for both," she says.