Guess which room we spend the most on when renovating?

The UK's reputation as a nation of DIY and renovation enthusiasts is supported by the newest Houzz & Home UK Renovation Trends Study, which has quizzed 7,770 UK homeowners about their renovation goals and habits. 

The results make clear that the determination to make our homes better remains strong year-on-year, with over half of the respondents completing a renovation project last year, and almost half (46 per cent) planning to complete one this year. 

Again consistent with previous years, the top three rooms we renovate the most remain the same: bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. But which room gets the most attention – and spend? You've probably already guessed: it's the kitchen, which has emerged as the room where renovation spending has grown the most over the past year, by 11 per cent, to a median spend of £10,000 per renovation project. 

Baby Boomers (55-74 age group) and Gen Xers (40-55) renovate the most, which makes sense since they belong to the generations that have higher rates of home ownership than millennials. These two older generations drove three quarters (74 per cent) of all renovating activity in 2018. 

And the reasons for renovating differ quite a bit between the older and younger generations. Baby Boomers and Gen Xers said that they renovated primarily because they wanted to stay in their current home and the area they've grown to love; millennials, on the other hand, cited more pragmatic reasons, namely the affordability of staying put and renovating over moving. 

Hearteningly, no age group cited increasing the value of their 'investment' as the top reason. It really seems that the vast majority of us think about our properties as our homes rather than investments. Asked what their priorities were when renovating, an astonishing 75 per cent of the respondents cited 'improving the look and feel' of their home, while 63 per cent said that improving the functionality of their home was another important priority.  

Whatever our age, then, we all want a house to be a home in the true sense of the word: comfortable, well functioning, and pleasing to look at. 

Ready to embark on your own renovation project? Start by reading our expert guide to house renovation.