How You Can Create the Perfect Home

According to research we are always striving to create the perfect home, and many of us believe we will never achieve it. In fact, the average Brit needs to spend more than £18,000 and four-and-a-half years working on their home before they can consider it ‘perfect’, a study has found.

Less than one in ten homeowners currently consider their home to be perfect with 55% saying they have a long to-do list of improvements and changes they would like to get done.

I can completely relate to this. Having spent a lot of time and money on my own house last year, there are still many big and small jobs I’d like to complete to make it ‘perfect’. I guess the question has to be, should we be striving for perfect, or will ‘just ok’ suffice?

It all comes down to what make a home perfect for you? Is it about having all the jobs done, having a downstairs loo and enough storage, or is it about memories and family and the life you strive to create in that house? I suspect for most people it’s a combination of the two, and a happy balance between them. After all, if you’re constantly doing DIY or planning a renovation you won’t have much time for playing with the kids or dinner parties with friends.

This research has been conducted by Network Veka, which was established 20 years ago and is the UK’s most-trusted installer network. Installers must request to be part of the Network VEKA scheme and are thoroughly vetted on an ongoing basis from their financial records, to customer service history and the quality of their workmanship. It’s a great way for the consumer to find reputable installation companies and have peace of mind.

I love how their infographic breaks down how we feel about our homes, and what we believe we need to achieve to create the perfect home.

The study, of 2,000 homeowners, found that the average home needs ten improvements and DIY jobs, with owners estimating these will cost £18,038 to complete.

While 36% reckon just a few minor jobs are needed to make their home perfect, 23% admit it is mostly major work preventing them from having a perfect abode. So what are the jobs we are most keen to complete in order to create our perfect home?

Top 20 Home Improvement Jobs

1. Paint a room/s
2. Refit the kitchen
3. Re-carpet
4. Refit the bathroom/toilet
5. Buy new furniture
6. Landscape or change the garden
7. Wallpaper a room/s
8. Build an extension
9. Convert the loft
10. Build a conservatory
11. Lay decking or patio in the garden
12. Replace internal doors
13. Replace external doors and windows
14. Install energy-efficient windows/double glazing
15. Extend the kitchen to make it bigger
16. Replace carpet with laminate flooring
17. Add underfloor heating
18. Install an ensuite
19. Build a walk-in wardrobe
20. Install a downstairs toilet/bathroom

And this is exactly why we think we will never have a perfect home.

Top 10 Reasons Why Our House Will Never Be Perfect

1. We’ll never have enough money
2. It needs professional work
3. There will always be something we want to do on our home
4. It’s an ongoing project
5. We don’t have the time
6. The things that need doing are too big/much for us to do
7. We can’t do what we want in our current home so would need to move
8. We don’t plan to stay here forever so it seems pointless trying to get it perfect
9. We’ve always got something else which is a bigger priority
10. We don’t have the motivation to do it anymore

Maybe we just need to enjoy our space a little more, instead of striving to create the elusive ‘perfect dream home’. If we could just stop and be grateful for what we already have, instead of constantly trying to attain the unattainable, we might feel a little more settled.

That doesn’t mean you should ignore the leaking roof, peeling paint, and broken cupboards of course. Needing energy and motivation to fix and maintain our home shouldn’t be confused with obsession we often feel at trying to keep up with the neighbours. Do what’s necessary to keep your home looking good, but if constantly trying to achieve the perfect home makes you miserable, give that up.

What do you think? Are you still striving towards the perfect home? And if so, how many jobs do you think it will take to get there?

Images: Living space || Stylish decor via Shutterstock

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