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Spending up on home renovations and repair

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Television shows like Designer Guys, Holmes on Homes and Décore ta vie help to inspire and guide Canadians through the world of renovation, construction and repairs. Big box home stores are popping up in our cities. Newspaper ads offer instructions on how to build gazebos. So more and more Canadian homeowners are rising to the challenge of taking on renovations and repairs.

In 2002, about three out of four Canadian homeowners made renovations or repairs to their homes. We spent an average of $2,910 renovating our homes, a figure that has been growing rapidly since 1998. Two-thirds of this spending went to hire contractors, while the rest was spent on construction materials.

Chart: Housing maintenance and repair expendituresPainting was the most common type of work, as 45% of homeowners painted either the inside or outside of their home. Other common repairs included plumbing fixtures, patios, fences, driveways and heating or air conditioning systems.

Prince Edward Islanders were most likely to spruce up their homes: more than four of five homeowners in this province made at least one change. Albertans had the lowest rate of renovations and repairs, although two-thirds of the homes in this province were improved in some way.

Homeowners in Newfoundland and Labrador were the most likely to take on do-it-yourself projects, whereas Ontario homeowners were more likely to hire someone else to do the work. Perhaps because of their tendency to hire help, Ontarians ended up spending the highest average amount, $3,480, for renovations and repair. At the other end of the spectrum, homeowners in Manitoba spent the least, $2,130.