Britons plan to spend an average of £1,240 on refurbishing their homes in the lead up to Spring, according to the latest movingimproving findings from Alliance & Leicester. This is slightly less than in autumn last year, when projected DIY expenditure reached a record high of £1,301 per person.

The research follows recent findings which showed the proportion of people looking to buy in the next 12 months has fallen to its lowest level since the movingimproving index started in 2000, with just four per cent planning to make a purchase in 2004. However, despite this drop homeowners still expect to spend more on home improvements than in the previous twelve months - suggesting that whilst Christmas and January sales spending could be responsible for the slight decrease in projected DIY expenditure, people will continue to focus on improving rather than selling their properties.

Alliance & Leicester’s quarterly movingimproving index asked a Great Britain representative sample of 4,000 people how much they intend to spend on DIY over the next three months and what projects they are intending to carry out.

Paul Cooper, Head of Mortgages at Alliance & Leicester, said: “While expected DIY expenditure has slowed a little this quarter compared to Autumn last year, homeowners are still planning to spend on average well over the £1,000 mark in the months leading up to Spring. Given the expense of Christmas – highlighted by record levels of consumer spending in December – it is no surprise that homeowners have less money to invest in their properties.”

Cooper continues, “With the movingimproving findings showing that people’s intentions to move have fallen to the lowest level for the past four years, it is encouraging to see that rather than merely sitting and waiting to see how the economy will pan out before selling their homes, homeowners are investing in their properties in order to maximise their value for when they are ready to sell and move on.”

Key findings:

• Men expect to spend more on DIY over the next few months, at an average of £1,287. This compares to women, who plan to spend an average of £1,185.
• People in their thirties are spending the most on DIY, at £1,465. This compares to those aged over 60, who plan to spend just £890 on their properties.

Areas of spending:

• The most popular DIY job this quarter is decorating – adding new carpets, curtains and furniture to homes – with 30% of people planning to smarten up their homes. Painting follows as the second most popular, with one in five homeowners (20%) planning to give their home a lick of paint this winter.
• Unsurprisingly for winter, just 8% of homeowners plan to carry out improvements to their garden over the next three months. Just 2% of people plan to buy a conservatory, and just 1% to install a new patio.
• 8% of homeowners expect to finance a new kitchen, and the same proportion a new bathroom.

Regional findings:

• The Welsh expect to spend the most on DIY this quarter, at an average of £1,515, while people in the North plan to spend the least, at £944
• Londoners are spending the least on painting this quarter, with just 12% opting to paint their homes. This compares to the Scots of whom 33% will be giving their homes a lick of paint in the run up to spring.
• People in East Anglia are the UK’s keenest decorators, with 36% planning to allocate their projected DIY spend on carpets, curtains and furniture. This compares to those in the North, who are the least likely to be decorating their homes this quarter (25%).
• The Welsh are the keenest gardeners, with 11% braving the winter weather and investing in their gardens. This compares to people in London, Yorkshire and the North, of whom just 5% in each region are planning to spend on improving their gardens.
• People in East Anglia are leading the way with spending on their kitchens, with 13% planning to fit a new kitchen. However, just 3% in the region expect to install a new bathroom - the least of all areas in the UK.