New research from mortgage lender Halifax shows UK homeowners are spending £1,000 more than last year on home improvements.
Not only are more then half of all homeowners (56%) carrying out some form of improvements on their property, but they are spending, on average, over £1,000 more than last year, making a total spend of £6,362 over the last 12 months.

The report also showed that almost two thirds (65%) of DIYers are choosing to revamp their homes with a new coat of paint and wallpaper, while garden improvements remain the second most favoured work on the home, down 2% to 37%.

This is closely trailed by new furnishings, up from 20% last year to 31%, followed by new carpets (22%) and new bathrooms (19%).

The main motivations behind home improvements were to improve the look and design of the property (59%, up from 44% in 2009) or to update and modernise (52%, up from 38%), said Halifax.

In terms of cost, the largest amount of money was spent on a new kitchen, at £6,609, followed by new windows and double glazing, at £3,646 and a new bathroom at £3,396. Home security had the lowest spend at £864.

People who had lived in their house for three to four years had the highest spend on home improvements (£9,481) while those who had lived in their property for over 10 years had the lowest (£5,299).

Lloyds Banking Group commercial director Stephen Noakes said: "We have always enjoyed DIY and home improvements remain high on the list. Our research shows that more and more home owners are picking up their brushes and paint and using their creativity to improver their surroundings, particularly in this market where we are seeing less house purchases."