"Home improvements have always had a slight reputation for sparking quarrels between couples"
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, couples across the UK will take time to appreciate one another and recall what their relationships have endured. It turns out, 1 in 4 couples will have experienced a home improvement disagreement at some point.
The survey revealed that couples argue most over the colour of paint, as 12% of respondents had disputes over this in the past. Interior decor and wallpaper design ranked joint second, having caused arguments with 8% of respondents, followed by lighting and garden landscaping at 6%. The top of the table features predominantly aesthetic home improvements such as the colour and decor of a room, emphasising the importance of appearances in home improvements, as well as just how different tastes can be! 5% of couples also admitted to arguing over a kitchen’s design, units and appliances, as well as the designs for bathrooms and bedrooms.
Looking at the results by location, Edinburgh has the highest level of home improvement arguments with 37% of couples admitting to it. Whereas Brighton has the lowest as only 10% disagree over the matter. Meanwhile Liverpool shows the highest number of couples arguing over the colour of paint with 21%.
The results from the capital show London couples argue slightly more over home improvements than the national average. The order of argument topics is fairly similar, although kitchen appliances have more of an influence as 9% of couples in London have disputes over this. However, the colour of paint (17%) and interior decor (10%) still take the top two spots, which illustrates that there is a common trend in priorities.
Stephen Jury, Spokesperson for Plentific, said: “Home improvements have always had a slight reputation for sparking quarrels between couples. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as the majority of couples do not argue when carrying out a project. If the change isn’t to your taste, you can always try another colour of paint or buy in some alternative decor. The beauty of home improvements is that you can always update them!”
