Homeowners reveal what they need to create their dream home

One in 10 homeowners admit that their home is far from their dream, according to new research.

A survey of 2,000 American homeowners showed that people have great visions for their home, but are not quite there yet, as 36% are unsatisfied with certain parts of their home.

Specifically, homeowners said the areas of their homes that need the most work include the bedrooms (34%), bathrooms (31%) and living rooms (26%).

Interestingly, the bedroom (37%) and bathroom (33%) were already some of the rooms they tackled in early renovations, but are not in tune with their current visions.

Lesser-thought-about parts of the home that fell behind early on include the dining room (22%), roof (12%) and garage (6%).

Despite the work it needs, there’s no place like home for the 81% who said that their home has been their greatest investment.

Conducted by OnePoll in partnership with Mr. Roof, the survey found that although they want more for their homes, two-thirds of homeowners feel stressed when thinking about doing home renovations on their own (67%).

The average homeowner has put $4,461.64 into renovations since owning their home.

This amount may seem low when thinking about the entire home, which aligns with just 40% having taken the leap to make large renovations.

And more than a fifth of homeowners haven’t made any renovations to their home (22%), despite the average respondent owning their home for six years.

Why has it taken so long? Time and comfort may be key factors, as a quarter of those who have renovated before said it’s taken about six months to complete the project (27%).

And that’s if everything goes according to plan, which doesn’t always happen.

The average homeowner who has made renovations to their home has begun four renovations that they never finished.

In fact, 31% have an ongoing home improvement project that they’ve been working on for an average of 52 days so far.

Fear of messing up also contributes to putting off renovations, as homeowners named the biggest home improvement fails: trying to paint or wallpaper the walls on their own (32%), put down new floors or carpet by themselves (29%) and attempting to install new roofing without professional help (22%).

It’s no surprise that when asked what renovations should be left to the professionals, homeowners named the same tasks: redoing walls (60%), putting down new flooring (57%), and installing new roofing (46%).

The new year looks bright for the 29% of homeowners who plan to do some kind of renovation in 2024, like installing new windows (42%), putting in carpentry like moldings and trims (35%) and redoing the walls again (62%).

They’re putting aside $3,762.79 to complete these projects.

Looking long-term past 2024, homeowners have even bigger plans for their home like putting in new roofing (33%), new electrical or plumbing work (34%) and even demolishing parts of their home (19%).

Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 homeowners was commissioned by Mr. Roof between Nov. 20 and Nov. 21, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).