House to home? This is the most intimidating room to renovate

More than one-third (35%) of Americans believe they have the skills and know-how to host their own home remodeling show.

That’s according to a recent poll of 2,000 American homeowners, which also found that despite their apparent confidence, 48% admit they wouldn’t want to tackle any plumbing or electrical work their home needs on their own.  

But almost two-thirds (64%) of homeowners surveyed would be willing to attempt home renovations on their own today.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Bath Fitter, bath and shower remodelers, results revealed that the average homeowner watches seven hours of home remodeling or renovation content each week.

And that seems to be creating some armchair experts: 86% of homeowners agree that watching home renovation and redecorating content inspires them to make changes to their own space.

Overall, almost seven in 10 (69%) respondents have already attempted to remodel aspects of their homes themselves.

Of those respondents, the top three rooms they tackled were their bathroom (61%), kitchen (42%) and living room (35%).

Many homeowners took renovations into their own hands simply because those rooms were outdated (59%) or because they didn’t fit their taste (30%).

However, 13% admit those renovations were because they were embarrassed by that space.

Interestingly, an astounding 94% of respondents who renovated part of their own home consider their renovations to be successful and the main thing they’d change would be to start sooner (31%).

But even so, 14% of those respondents wish they’d enlisted help from a professional.

Of the 31% who haven’t attempted to remodel aspects of their home on their own, nearly half admit their fear got the best of them, leading them to avoid renovations so as not to mess them up.

Similarly, others believe that they required more skill than they have (43%), and they didn’t know where to start (31%).

But that doesn’t mean Americans haven’t been willing to get their hands dirty — many respondents have experience using tape measures (87%), drills (75%), levels (74%) and even sanders (55%).

“It’s no secret that home renovations can be intimidating but it’s encouraging to see so many American homeowners already attempting to remodel their homes to fit their unique needs and aesthetics,” said Jennifer Dionne, Vice President of Marketing at Bath Fitter. “The survey results found that of the respondents who have not attempted renovations, the top two rooms they’d feel most comfortable tackling include the bathroom and primary bedroom (19%). Renovations can seem daunting, however, there are updates you can make that are affordable, time-efficient, and beautiful.

When asked their biggest worry when it comes to home renovations, common themes such as “the time I need to finish it” or “the expense” or “cost” were frequently repeated.

Others worry “that it won’t turn out right” or even that they’re “too old”.

This may be why a little more than half (51%) would rather hire a professional than tackle home renovations on their own or why another 57% of respondents admit that they’re intimidated by the idea of attempting remodeling on their own.

A little more than two in five (21%) are currently dissatisfied by the state of their bathroom.

For those respondents, the tub (53%), shower (44%) and the bathroom’s overall size are the top three pieces that need work.

“There’s a big myth in the renovation space which leads people to think that they need to gut everything to get what they want. That’s not true,” said Scott McGillivray, HGTV star and renovation expert. You don’t need to create a big disruption demolishing to get what you’re looking for, especially in the bathroom. Oftentimes we have the perfect tub or shower location and size, but it just needs to be refurbished.” 

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 homeowners was commissioned by Bath Fitter between Feb. 19 and Feb. 23, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).