NEWS COPY - WITH VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC
NYDIY- By Tyler Schmall
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
The average American home has NINE DIY jobs that desperately need attention, according to new research.
Do you have a home improvement project that you’re putting off? Maybe you've been meaning to repaint the bedroom, or finally lay down that new carpet but just haven't been able to find the time?
Well, you're not alone, because according to a new study, 32 percent of homeowners have been putting off at least one home improvement job for 12 months or more.
The new study of 2,000 American homeowners, conducted by Porch.com, sought to uncover America’s “to-do list” around the home, as well as understand where homeowners make the biggest investments in their homes.
The findings show that the payoff can be worth it, but it can also take a tremendous amount of work to keep the average American home in shape.
For example, the average home has nine repairs or DIY jobs that need to be completed, with 57 percent of homeowners feeling their home was still a “work in progress.”
In fact, only 10 percent of homeowners felt they were completely on top of their home maintenance tasks.
A new coat of paint was the most popular job that needs to be done around the house, with 55 percent of homeowners saying it was on their to-do list, followed by remodeling the bathroom (33 percent) and installing new carpet (28 percent).
Despite having a big to-do list, the average homeowner in the study has already spent over $9,000 in home repairs and maintenance, with one in five homeowners having spent $13,000 or more.
Matt Ehrlichman, CEO of Porch.com says of the study results: “Homeowners often underestimate the investment needed just to maintain the quality of their home and if they are not willing to make that investment, it can lead to much larger costs down the road."
55 percent of homeowners tend to try to tackle a job themselves first rather than call a professional. However, the chances of DIY success can be slim. The survey found that only 31 percent of homeowners cite that their DIY projects have been successfully completed without major problems.
Still, this is not a deterrent as the average homeowner cited spending at least six hours every week working on various house projects and maintenance tasks.
But just because they put in the time, that doesn’t mean it all gets done or done well, as 32 percent of homeowners admit to starting a job around the house and abandoning it halfway through after it proved to be too much, a sentiment that is echoed in Porch’s Millennial Home Buying Report.
That might be why the average homeowner completes just four DIY jobs in a typical year.
Being unwilling to spend the proper money on repairs and maintenance turns out to be a pretty big reason why homes are perpetually works in progress, with 42 percent of homeowners admitting they’ve postponed a repair or maintenance task because it proved to be too expensive.
Says Ehrlichman: “Every week, Porch helps homeowners complete tens-of-thousands of projects, and the most common reasons that projects end up costing more than they should are because they were either put off for too long, or were not done by a professional the first time around.”
America's To-Do List: The Nation's Top 20 Home Improvement Tasks
Painting - 55 percent
Bathroom remodel - 30 percent
New carpet - 28 percent
Landscaping - 27 percent
Kitchen remodel - 27 percent
Drywall repair - 25 percent
Fix/replace door(s) - 23 percent
Fix/replace window(s) - 22 percent
Flooring repair - 21 percent
Roof repair - 20 percent
Deck/patio repair/installation - 20 percent
Re-caulking - 20 percent
Fix/replace faucet(s) - 16 percent
Lighting installation - 15 percent
New tiling - 15 percent
Fix leak - 14 percent
Fix/replace tub/shower - 14 percent
Fix/replace toilet(s) - 14 percent
Fix/replace plumbing - 12 percent
Siding repair - 12 percent
ENDS