Half of Homeowners Never Want to Move House Again

Posted on September 17, 2020 by DIY Doctor

We are all looking for the perfect home – but some of us are prepared to work at the imperfect one we have to get there.

According to a new survey by Pilkington it takes approximately £26,000 of renovations to achieve the “perfect” home after moving in, and it takes on average five years after moving in to feel like it is “just right”.

The 2000 people asked revealed that renovating the kitchen had the biggest impact on achieving the perfect home (42 percent), followed by a living room makeover (32 percent) and a new bathroom (26 per cent). Landscaping the garden was also a major priority (34 percent).

What we found really interesting though was that the study showed that 48 percent intend to stay in their houses forever. Maybe the thought of moving in the current climate has made everyone feel like hunkering down, or possibly the costs involved means that most people prefer to spend money on the house they are in rather than uprooting and starting again.

The things that proved to be barriers to home renovations included lack of money (33 percent), Planning permission (16 percent) and disagreements with partners (15 percent) although if they are one of the couples who intend never to move again they might have to compromise!

Another survey, this time by B&Q, has probed Briton’s changing attitudes towards our homes – especially among the younger generation. An overwhelming consensus (nine out of ten) said their home was important to make their life better, and 57 percent said their home is even more significant post-lockdown.

Over two-fifths of the 2,000 people polled (it’s always 2K people isn’t it?) said that they are more motivated to do DIY as a result of lockdown, with 35 percent feeling more ambitious in the home improvement projects they want to tackle. This change in attitude is particularly prevalent amongst the younger generations, with two-fifths (42 percent) of 18-24 year olds having learned DIY skills during lockdown. This age group now also fell more ambitious to make changes and tackle further DIY (42 percent of 18-24 year olds and 45 percent of 25-34 year olds).

We are pleased to see this changing trend as we know that previously only the more mature generations said they felt confident to tackle DIY jobs at home.

We thought we would share with you the top 30 renovation jobs that homeowners carried out to their properties, with some links to project on our website that could inspire you to fulfil your dreams, hopefully!

Top 30 things homeowners did to achieve their perfect home:

1. Re-painted interior rooms – preparation, decorating and painting tools https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/decorating.htm
2. Installed a new bathroom – Bathroom installation projects https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/plumbing/bath-basin-sink.htm
3. A new front door – fitting a new door https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/doors-windows/door.htm
4. Re-tiled the bathroom – tiling instructions https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/tiling-tiles.htm
5. Got rid of old wall paper
6. Changed the lighting – Lighting installation https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/electrical/lighting.htm
7. Installed new windows – Windows doors and conservatories https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/doors-windows.htm
8. Installed double glazed windows
9. Landscaped garden – how to landscape your garden https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/garden-landscape.htm
10. A new heating system – Types of heating, installing and maintaining https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/central-heating-boiler.htm
11. New flooring throughout the house – flooring and floor coverings https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/floors-walls-ceilings/flooring.htm
12. Re-painted the exterior of the house
13. New interior doors
14. Enclosed the garden for privacy
15. Built an extension – Building advice https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/building-self-build-renovation.htm
16. Installed a fireplace / wood burner – open fires and woodburners https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/central-heating-boiler/fires-woodburners.htm
17. Converted a bedroom to a home office
18. Created an open plan kitchen/diner – load bearing walls https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/load-bearing_walls.htm
19. Installed a greenhouse / potting shed – building a shed https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/buildshed.htm
20. Knocked down an interior wall to open up space
21. Added decking to the garden – decking guides https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/fencing-decking-patios/decking.htm
22. Built a conservatory/orangery
23. Added a utility room separate from the kitchen
24. Installed extra windows for more natural light
25. Loft conversion – What’s involved https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/loft_conversions.htm
26. Added Velux skylight windows – fitting roof lights https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/roofwindows.htm
27. Exposed the natural floorboards – timber floor finishes https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/timber.htm
28. Added an en-suite – showers and wetrooms https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/diy-how-to-type/plumbing/shower.htm
29. Converted the garage to a room – damp treatments for garage conversions https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/garagedamp.htm
30. Added a rainforest-style shower