Kitchens - ''Millions with half-finished kitchens and bathrooms''

22/05/2008

New research has revealed that millions of UK homeowners could be living with unfinished kitchens and bathrooms.

A study from Halifax Home Insurance which examined unfinished DIY and home renovation projects suggested that as many as 2.8 million homes have incomplete work in their kitchen while another 2.5 million have half-done bathrooms.

Of the respondents, half said that the unfinished work was due to time pressures, while 29 per cent reported that financial constraints have delayed their projects.

Also suggested in the research was that 1.7 million homes have a project that has lain unfinished for over two years, with 250,000 renovations still underway after ten years or more.

David Rochester, head of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, commented: "Budgeting effectively for the financial cost of completing a DIY project and being realistic about the time it will take to complete it can save significant heartache."

Other research from Zurich shows that mistakes in DIY projects are costing UK homeowners £1.5 billion a year, with 16 per cent having to bring in a professional to help them fix their blunders.