I visited Home Depot and Lowe's to see how the home improvement stores stack up for both pros and DIYers

• Home Depot and Lowe's are the top two home improvement retailers in the US.
• Both chains serve a mix of pro customers and do-it-yourself weekend warriors.
• I visited both stores and could see why Home Depot has the edge with contractors.

On paper, the world's top two home improvement retailers, Home Depot and Lowe's, are remarkably similar.

Each operates roughly 2,000 US stores. Both sell a similar range of merchandise from similarly sized warehouses, serving a similar customer base of professional contractors and do-it-yourself weekend warriors.

One key difference, however, is the ratio of DIYers to pros that each company serves: Home Depot serves a roughly equal mix, while DIYers outnumber pros at Lowe's by about a three-to-one.