Nearly one in ten British couples split during house renovations

Nearly one in ten British couples who have attempted to renovate a house together have split up during the progress, according to a new study.

There are a number of things that test the strength of a relationship, from household chores to annual family gatherings, but it seems as though property renovation projects are yet another cause of arguments.

A nationwide survey of 2,000 homeowners has revealed that 10 per cent of British couples who have done up their home almost separated, while seven per cent actually did.

What’s more, 77 per cent of those surveyed said the project led to “furious rows”, with 15 per cent claiming they were “constantly at each other’s throats”.

In fact, more than half (58 per cent) of people who had bought a house in need of renovations said their relationship was so affected that they would never consider doing it again.

The research, conducted by www.MyBuilder.com - an online marketplace that brings builders and homeowners together - also revealed that couples considered renovating a home as “one of the most stressful things in life”, ahead of having a baby, getting divorced or taking exams.

Similarly, 14 per cent of the participants said that just thinking about tackling home improvement themselves leaves them “feeling stressed out”, while two-thirds (67 per cent) said they ended up resenting the house they were working on.

“Biting off more than you can chew can have serious consequences,” says Ryan Notz, founder and CEO of MyBuilder.

“No matter what type of project you’re tackling, getting the experts in can save a lot of heartache.”

“Perhaps this explains why 20 per cent of people think they’re much worse at DIY than their parents’ generation. And 17 per cent of people think they have no DIY skills at all.”

The survey also looked into why some couples choose not to embark on renovation projects with their partner.

The main reasons that were given included that they’d rather work with professionals (38 per cent), that they didn’t have time (29 per cent) and that they thought they’d end up divorcing (17 per cent).

Men and women felt very similarly about the home projects in general, however 20 per cent of women wish their other half was better at DIY, compared to only 11 per cent of men.