DIYers modernise home to add in excess of £5,000

The number of people undertaking home improvements to update and modernise their home has increased over the past twelve months, according to research by the Halifax.

58% of respondents have carried out some type of home improvements within the last 12 months, an increase of 12% on last year. The majority of people undertaking home improvements did so to update or modernise their home (54%) or to improve the look and design of their home (50%). Over a third (34%) say that they did it to improve their standard of living, while over a quarter of respondents (26%) were forced to improve their home to undertake essential repair.

There has been an increase in the number of people carrying out home improvements to increase the value of their property, a quarter of people cited this reason compared with just 7% last year.

Likewise, more people are seeking to increase saleability of their property through home improvements, 16% compared with just 2% last year.

There are signs of an increased awareness of the impact of home improvements in terms of energy efficiency. Almost a fifth (17%) stated reducing fuel bills as a reason for doing their home improvements, up from just 4% last year.

The cost of home improvements:

Over half of respondents (62%) named cost as the thing most likely to prevent or deter them from undertaking home improvements.

Of the 58% of respondents who carried out improvements to their home within the last 12 months, half (51%) spent up to £2,500, over a third (33%) spent between £2,500-10,000 and 11% spent over £10,000.

Home improvements to be carried out over the next 12 months:

Almost two thirds (59%) of respondents are planning to make home improvements over the next year. Over half (55%) plan to spend up to £5,000, whereas over a quarter (27%) plan to spend between £5,001 and £40,000. The most active age groups will be the 35-44 year olds (74%) and the 25-34 age group (71%) which are planning improvements within the next year.

The trend of refreshing a property's image is set to continue over the next 12 months with redecorating remaining the most popular choice (64%) followed by garden improvements (35%).

Features of a house considered to be essential:

The 'warmth factor' continues to be considered essential with over 90% considering central heating and 84% considering double glazing essential, both up on last year's results. Those whose ideal home is terraced placed less emphasis on central heating, with just three quarters (74%) considering it essential. This may be due to the heat generated by the surrounding properties.

Over four fifths of respondents, (81%) considered a garden to be essential. Gardens were more highly regarded by women than men, 87% compared with 74% of men. Over half (58%) responded that a fully enclosed garden was essential whilst over a fifth of people (23%) also considered garden improvements such as decking or patios to be essential. The findings indicate that people are beginning to see their garden as an extension to the home and taking their home comforts into this area.

A modern bathroom and kitchen continued to be seen as essential features, each being cited by more respondents this year than the last. Off street parking was also cited by more respondents this year with over six out of ten people (61%) considering it to be essential.

Phil Jenks, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "Home improvements are becoming more popular with people looking to add value to their home and improve saleability. Whilst DIYers continue to favour the more simple home improvements, such as redecorating, there are also signs that people are beginning to view their gardens as an extension of their home and are investing more time and money in improving the outdoors as well as the indoors.

"It's good to see more people citing reasons such as reducing fuel bills and increasing energy efficiency for undertaking home improvements as it shows that climate change is moving up people's agenda."