One in six adults have argued with partner when redecorating their home, study finds
Women are most likely to suggest a home improvement with more men getting the quotes, survey claims
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Your support makes all the difference.Millions of couples have been at loggerheads with each other over home improvements, a study has found.
A poll of 2,000 adults found about one in six have ended up in a row with their other half when decorating or renovating their home.
Sixteen per cent had disagreed over how much they should spend while almost one in five said either they or their partner was completely against getting the work done at all.
As a result, 47 per cent found their home makeover “stressful”.
Karen Lund, of home improvement window specialists Independent Network, which commissioned the research, said: “We all know that home improvements can be disruptive, but we didn’t realise quite what the emotional impact could be.
“It seems women are more interested in attaining perfection, and men would rather not deal with the hassle.”
Researchers found women were most likely to suggest a home improvement, with 65 per cent saying they had made the first move.
But it was men who were lumbered with getting quotes for the work, with seven in 10 saying the task usually fell to them.
More than one in 10 adults admitted they were not happy with the price they paid for the work in the end, and almost the same proportion said they were dissatisfied with the quality.
As a result, 53 per cent of people regretted not taking the time to get more quotes, with more than one-quarter feeling they could have had the same job done for less money if they had shopped around.
One-third even admitted to blaming their partner for not spending more time to get a wide range of quotes before giving the go ahead on the work.
It also emerged recommendations were the most popular way to find a contractor, ahead of simply ringing around to get an idea of prices.
But among those who did get quotes, an average of three were collected before they made their decision.
A brave 28 per cent of couples bypassed contractors and did the work themselves.
A new bathroom was found to be the most common home improvement to make, followed by a garden makeover and a new kitchen.
Other popular ways to improve the home include updating the boiler or the central heating or installing double glazing.
Top five most common home improvements
- New bathroom
- Garden makeover
- New kitchen
- Central heating and/or boiler
- Double glazing
SWNS
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