A BLOOMING GOOD TIME FOR OUTDOOR RENOVATIONS

The study found that Aussies are going crazy for paving with one quarter of homeowners having paved, decked or painted their outdoor living area over the last three years, making it the most renovated area of the house.

The Canstar Blue research surveyed more than 2,500 people and asked about the renovations that people have undertaken as well as their future intentions. One quarter (25%) of the 1,503 respondents who own their home have beautified their backyards over the last three years and a further 38 per cent who haven’t yet renovated their outdoor space are considering, or intending, to do so.

Bathrooms were the second most popular renovation to undertake with one in five (20%) homeowners reporting to have made improvements over the last three years. Of those who had not renovated their bathroom, two in five (40%) have an intention to spruce up their bathroom.

“In the Australian climate our outdoor living areas are often as important as indoor spaces and the harshness of the climate means that we can’t afford to neglect maintenance,” said Amy Partington from Canstar Blue.

Other findings from the research:

• Homeowners in the sunnier climate of Queensland were most likely to have renovated their backyard (29%) versus just 17% in Tasmania and West Australia.
• The most popular work undertaken in the garden was flooring such as decking or paving (45%), repainting (38%) and changes to the lighting (32%).
• In the bathroom it was the taps and sink which were likely to be upgraded (72% of renovators), followed by repainting (69%) and then replacing showers and baths (66%).
• Gen Y homeowners were most likely to be doing their own heavy lifting – almost half (47%) said that they did all the renovations themselves, compared to 40% of Baby Boomers and 41% of Gen X.

“We conducted the research to get a nationwide picture of the renovation projects that Aussies are undertaking and the research shows that there’s very little that’s off limits for our nation of eager renovators.

“The research also shows that a large proportion of people are doing their work themselves, particularly younger people who may have scrimped and saved for their first home,” concluded Amy.

Universal Magazines has an array of titles dedicated to sprucing up your outdoor (and indoor) living spaces. For more information on our magazines, click here.