Three Wishes: A Remodeling Fairytale

The arrival of Spring each year seems to provide a lot of us with the kick in the pants we need to get things done around the house. Maybe it’s the warmer weather. Or the birds chirping – you know, Whistle While You Work and all of that Disney folderol that’s been ingrained in us. (Side note: I’m still looking for a few [cartoon] birds and squirrels to help me with the chores à la Snow White). Anyone motivated by the smell of the fresh-off-the-farm mulch? Much to the chagrin of my husband, it puts me in the mood to buy LOTS of new annuals.

At any rate, Spring just seems ripe for DIY. The problem for many of us, though, is that there aren’t enough hours in the day (…weeks…months…years?) to make all of our DIY wishes come true. And let’s face it, we’re still waiting on our fairy godmothers to grant that ultimate request – the means to hire out all of this work and have it done before retirement.

But, if I could make three wishes for my home, I would have no problem coming up with a list:

Our retaining wall WIP…please disregard the weeds #keepingitreal

1. A retaining wall along our front walk. My genie husband is hard at work on this as I type – I guess dreams do come true!
2. A carpet–less second floor (and don’t forget the stairway). I have BAD allergies, and the previous owners loved dogs and cats, so I consider this a medical necessity. (Do you think my insurance would cover new hardwoods?)
3. A remodeled master bath. The layout is just strange, and every gal deserves a spa tub, right?

For our May Consumer survey, we [quasi] granted our nearly 9,000 respondents with one makeover wish for their homes. While Master Bathrooms (12.2%) and Outdoor Spaces (7.0%) made the Top 5, one in five consumers (20.7%) agreed that a Kitchen remodel is at the top of their “To Do” lists. Living/Family Rooms (9.2%) and Master Bedrooms (5.4%) were also high priority. And, more men set precedence on their Basements (5.1%) compared to average; must be all of those unfinished Man Caves [insert chest thump here].

Now where are we drawing inspiration for our fabulous new spaces? Magazines (43.7%) and Television (33.6%) are the top culprits idea starters, followed by Instore/Showroom Browsing (26.8%), Online Searches (24.8%), and HGTV (20.7%). The popular cable channel was even a Top 5 pick for Men – but we’re probably talking more Holmes on Homes here and less Sarah’s House…probably. Somewhat surprisingly, Social Media (Facebook, Pinterest, etc.) piques the inspiration of just 6.6% of consumers, only slightly ahead of one-time domestic maven Martha Stewart (5.0%). Blogs fared worse, with just 3.6% following for DIY ideas [though this blog changed my life].

Interestingly, more than one in five (23.3%) said they wouldn’t remodel a thing, as they were perfectly satisfied with their homes [so maybe some of us do live in fairytales]. This number was higher among men (25.8%), while females were less likely to be so contented (21.0%)…well, “Honey-Do” lists generally aren’t aimed at the fairer gender. #justsayin

For more information on this data, please contact BIGinsight™.

Source: BIGinsight™ Monthly Consumer Survey – MAY-12 (N = 8789, 5/2 – 5/8/12)

© 2012, Prosper®

BIGinsight™ is a trademark of Prosper Business Development Corp.

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