Cooking a fine meal for friends, adding an exciting colour to a wall, or fitting a wooden blind to a window are but a handful of activities that make us feel good when we do them ourselves. But which tasks give us the most fulfilment? And what causes us to second guess our own abilities?

Our recent survey of 2,000 UK homeowners, explores how DIY makes us feel, how we prioritize the improvements to our homes and other key considerations we have when updating our décor.

Whether homeowners are looking for easy-to-install, cost-effective and stylish home furnishings they can fit themselves, or whether they prefer to outsource them to external professionals, the Fulfilment Survey reveals that ultimately, being happy with our living space is key to our overall positivity in life.

DIY Sense of Fulfilment

For many of us, one of the main positives of successfully completing a DIY task is the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. We asked homeowners which tasks they found the most fulfilling, with the results showing the majority prefer decorating (41%), followed by garden maintenance (40%) and deep cleaning a room (35%). This preference was common across the nation, with decorating a room coming out on top in seven of our 12 regions.

The survey also found that younger homeowners - aged 18-24 - are most likely to feel a sense of accomplishment after successfully completing a task themselves and the largest proportion of people who’d be most likely to complete a DIY task if their friends and family would be impressed by them doing so (47%). However, they were also found to account for most people who would avoid completing a DIY task due to a fear of people’s opinions (49%).

A key takeaway from the survey was that people who regularly update their home décor were more likely to be satisfied with their living space. for example, those aged 18-24 accounted for the highest proportion of homeowners that are happier with their home now than a year ago (44%), and also the highest proportion of people who update their home décor at least twice a year (30%). Interestingly, they also accounted for the age group that most preferred to try a task themselves (54%).

The Nation's Attitude to DIY

When it comes to those tasks that deter homeowners from taking on a job around the house themselves, the results reveal most people are put off by the perceived difficulty of the task in hand (19%), followed by concerns around the quality of the end result (16%). Other deterrents included the level of risk involved (12%) and the time it would take to complete a task (12%). The biggest deterrent for young homeowners was found to be them not knowing where to start, while those aged 55-65 are more likely to avoid attempting a task due to the assumed difficulty.

So, for those who are put off attempting a task themselves, how open are they to paying for a third party to complete it on their behalf? The results show that people are the least likely to pay for a professional to construct furniture (16%) or deep clean a room (13%). They are most open to outsourcing decorating (32%) and for small DIY fixes (28%).

Interestingly, almost a third of people (31%) don’t pay for professionals to complete a task on their behalf at all.

The Nation's Décor Decisions

For those of us who favour refreshing our décor somewhat regularly - whether it’s done ourselves or through a third party - which rooms do we update most frequently, and what do we prioritise when doing so?

The survey found the most-regularly updated room in the home was the living room (31%), followed by the master bedroom (14%) and the kitchen (13%).

People were least likely to update their loft space or conservatory, while young homeowners aged 18-24 were found to be most likely to regularly update their décor. With the same demographic being happier with their décor today than 12 months ago, it’s a fair assumption that regularly updating your interior design would make you happier in the long term.

Home Product Purchasing

Another area of focus was those factors which people found most important when considering a home décor product. The survey revealed the majority of us are concerned with the cost (56%), followed by the assumed quality (47%), durability (33%), aesthetic (27%) and ease of upkeep (27%). Cost was found to be a priority for a significant majority of regions (75%), while the other regions (Northern Ireland, North East and Yorkshire) were more concerned with a product’s quality.

The survey revealed that most UK homeowners look to spend less than £250 on home décor each year (23% of respondents). This could be due to actively looking to minimise living space expenditure, income restrictions, or homeowners prioritising other things over home décor. Those aged 18-24 were found to be the demographic that spends the most on home décor, while Wales was the region where people were most willing to splash out, with 16% of homeowners spending more than £1.5k!

Homeowners who consider cost to be the most important factor when purchasing home décor products did indeed spend less on their living space per year, compared to those who prioritise a product’s quality, aesthetic, or durability. Interestingly, those of us who are more concerned with other people’s opinions are more likely to spend more on home décor each year as a result.

Impact of Home Improvements

A common theme seen throughout the survey was the idea that feeling satisfied with our home’s aesthetic is fundamental to our overall happiness. This is evidenced by almost a third (32%) of respondents saying they felt more positive in life because they are happy with their living space.

Furthermore, a third (33%) of homeowners reported feeling a sense of pride when the décor of their room matches their vision for it.

Darren Green, Managing Director, commented, “It is encouraging to see so many homeowners, and especially younger people, happier with their homes now than they were a year ago.

“It’s also heartening that we’re becoming increasingly confident in taking on the challenge of keeping our homes beautiful ourselves. Whether it’s fitting a wooden blind, painting a wall or building a new desk, we are becoming increasingly confident in our own abilities and the positive effect it has on our happiness reinforces the importance of doing things independently.”

So, What Have We Learned?

The data is clear. Our homes, how they look, and how they make us feel is very important to individuals and families across the UK. Moreover, it is clear that making our own houses, flats and apartments into real homes by our own work can have significant improvement to our overall positivity in life. Relaxing on a comfy sofa, nestled amongst cushions and friends knowing that the paint on the wall, the blind in the window, and the food warming us up are only there because of our hard work brings well-earnt pride and fulfillment.

After months of having little to do, it’s extremely reassuring that, as a nation, we’ve been learning new skills and pushing ourselves to complete tasks we may never have pictured ourselves doing before! What will be the next challenge you take on in your home?

At Blinds Direct, we’re committed to helping you feel happy in your home. Our products are made to the highest quality, are up to 70% less expensive than high street alternatives and are extremely easy to fit. Our wooden Venetian blinds are a clear example of this and are also available in a wide variety of colours and finishes to suit every aesthetic.

The DIY Fulfilment Survey involved 2,000 UK homeowners and ran between 24/8/2021-26/8/2021, on behalf of Blinds Direct. Results were split by the following demographics: age and region

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