Forget Me, Fix My House

National Homeowner Survey Finds Americans Obsessed With Makeover Madness

(HIT)-Change is good, so they say. Americans are obsessed with change and making over their homes, their bodies, their finances and even their marriages. In fact, home makeovers are becoming a national pastime. No surprise, then, that when choosing between a $10,000 home makeover and a personal makeover, a whopping 75% choose to make over their homes.

These results emerged from a recent national survey of 750 adult male and female homeowners conducted by an independent market research firm* for the Minwax® Company. With three out of four homeowners or 74% indicating they have done or plan to do a home improvement project in the next 12 months, it seems that the home makeover madness is going strong. Where are these intrepid homeowners going when they’re looking for inspiration? What kind of changes fills their wish lists? And how they are going about getting the job done?

Big Box vs. Small Screen

Despite the popularity of home makeover television shows, a majority of homeowners said they would look to their local big box home center stores like Home Depot and Lowes (64%) for ideas and information rather than home design magazines and books (49%), catalogs (42%) or home improvement/reality TV shows (40%) if they were planning a project. But don’t discount the power of a personal touch, as 49% would look to a friend for ideas while 37% would seek professional advice from a contractor, interior designer or architect. For 31%, ideas were just a click away on the Internet.

Do-It-Yourself Meets Do-it-For-Me

Who will do the work? Almost half surveyed, 47% claim to be do-it-yourselfers and plan to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Two out of three homeowners report being confident in their ability to do a project in their home, with men claiming to be more confident than women. But contractors don’t let that statistic get you down, there’s an emerging group of do-it-for-me’s (42%) who prefer to hire a contractor, write the check and leave the work to someone else.

Money, Money, Money

No matter whether they are a do-it-yourselfer or a do-it-for me, the homeowners surveyed who are planning to improve their homes this year expect to spend an average of $8,400. Women appear to have deeper pockets than men, with females expecting to spend $10,000 versus $6,200 for men. Where will they put their cash? Kitchens and baths were hands down the rooms that are desperately in need of a makeover followed by master bedrooms and family rooms, then home offices and kids’ rooms.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Can there be bliss amid buffing floors and spackling walls? One out of four who said they worked on a do-it-yourself project with their spouse or significant other claimed "They make a great team", while 23% said "surprisingly, it went well." Another 14% said "it wasn’t perfect but I wouldn’t switch," partners that is. But doing a do-it-yourself project was not a bed of roses for all, as 6% said "they fought like cats and dogs," and 13% said "next time I’ll do it myself." Only 13% reported never working on a project with a spouse or significant other.

Sneak Peek at the Stars

Country music’s golden couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw not only top the music charts but topped the list when respondents were asked to select the celebrity couple whose home they would most like to have a sneak peek of behind the scenes. Hollywood’s official Mr. & Mrs. Smith, that’s Will and Jada not Brad and Angelina, tied for second with diva Barbara Streisand and hubby James Brolin. A scant 7% had any interest in sneaking a peek at the glamorous digs of superstar Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.

Dream House

If respondents can’t live like celebrities at least they can dream. Projects on their "wish list" to make their home closer to their ideal dream house include a custom kitchen with real hardwood cabinets (47%), marble bathrooms with a Jacuzzi tub (39%), walk in closets (37%), home theater or high definition TV (36%), genuine hardwood floors and paneling (32%) and a fully equipped home office (26%).

For homeowners who are looking for ideas to personalize their home, the Minwax® company is offering a free magazine, Wood Beautiful®. The 36-page color magazine inspires and guides do-it-yourselfers of all skill levels with innovative yet achievable wood finishing and home improvement projects, while depicting the latest trends in decorating with wood. Wood Beautiful is available beginning in April through home centers, hardware stores and paint stores, or via the Minwax Web site at minwax.com.

Minwax® is the nation’s leading manufacturer of wood finishing and wood care products. Headquartered in Upper Saddle River NJ, with a manufacturing facility in Flora, IL, the Minwax Company employs over 400 people. Minwax® is part of Sherwin-Williams Wood Care Products.

*The projectable Caravan® survey was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation of Princeton, NJ, March 24-27, 2006. The report presents the findings of a telephone survey conducted among a national probability sample of 750 adult homeowners comprising 354 men and 396 women 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the continental United States.