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Partner or house? ... Partner or tradesmen?

A survey of over 1,000 homeowners has discovered just how emotionally attached people are to their homes.

The research from Rated Tradesmen reveals that people spend 79% more money on home improvements than they do on improving their relationship with their partner, with over a third of people (35%) admitting they care more about their home than their loved one.

British homeowners spend an average of £34 a week – £1,768 a year – on interior and exterior home improvements compared with only a measly £19 a week on improving their relationship with their partner.

Nearly four out of ten (38%) women and a third of men (32%) say that they would be more upset if the foundations of their house fell down rather than the foundations of their relationship. And one in five (21%) homeowners say a good relationship with tradesmen is more important than a good relationship with a partner.

Andrew Skipwith, founder of Rated Tradesmen - an online service that matches tradesmen to customer-submitted jobs - commented: “An Englishman's – and woman's – home is their castle and it seems when it comes to matters of the heart, bricks and mortar pull more strings than a romantic relationship with a partner.”

“Indeed, a fifth of homeowners place more value on a good relationship with a tradesman than they do their partner.”

However, despite some homeowners loving tradesmen more than their partners, seven out of ten (68%) have had a bad relationship with UK tradesmen saying they were 'unhappy' or 'very unhappy' with the level of service they have received.

A massive 34% have employed another tradesman to correct a previous tradesman's mistakes whilst 15% try and improve on a bad job themselves with a spot of DIY. 14% of homeowners who experienced unsatisfactory work preferred to do nothing and put it down to experience rather than face the hassle of a dispute.

People from London come top of the home-lovers league spending £42 a week on home improvements. Homeowners in the Midlands (£38) and North East (£37) come second and third respectively, whilst propping up the bottom of the league come Scottish homeowners spending only £26 a week on home improvements.

Mr Skipwith added: “For most people their house is their most valuable asset so it's no surprise that people have such an emotional attachment to it. When it comes to dealing with tradesman it's so important you have a close, trusting relationship as you're often spending more money on home improvements than you are on your partner – and if you end up single at least you won't have a leaky roof over your head.“