Five-year cycle for home improvements
Published On 11 October 2007
Homeowners in the UK carry out improvement and redecoration work as often as every five years, as one in three do not expect such refurbishments to last any longer.Research carried out by Saga found that 31 per cent of people admit they have made unnecessary changes to their property, simply to enhance its aesthetics.
For 39 per cent of home improvers, key areas of the home targeted for enhancement are the bedrooms and bathrooms, with 47 per cent of those in Scotland looking to the kitchen for work.
Updating these areas may not be such a bad thing, as any investment made here could yield a good return. Robin Hood-Leeder from the Federation of Master Builders said recently that "people recognise that these are where the big expenditures are".
He added: "Beyond that, there's extensions and conservatories; extra habitable space. More people are thinking now of improving rather than moving."
But the Saga report warned homeowners planning to spend money doing up their property to inform their insurance company. The research found that two in three people were unaware they should keep their insurer informed about upgrades such as extensions.
