According to new research from Houzz, almost one-in-five homeowners who have completed a renovation as a couple admitted they had “considered separating” as a result of how stressful they found the experience.
The recently published 2025 UK Houzz Renovations and Relationships Report found that at least 16% of recent renovators said they had considered separating or divorcing at some point because of the process.
Alarmingly, that percentage jumped to 20% for couples who had been together for less than five years, and dropped to 7% amongst those who had been together for 30 years or more.
Roughly four-in-ten of those polled (37%) cited “staying on budget” as the most frequent source of tension amongst couples. Almost three-in-ten (31%) said their biggest frustration was selecting materials or finishes. The same percentage said they struggled to agree on a project’s design, and a quarter said that their biggest challenge was communicating with each other.
The most common design feature to disagree over is reportedly paint colours, which was a sticking point for as many as half of those asked (51%). This was followed by a similar number (47%) who struggled to agree on flooring materials, and almost four-in-ten (38%) said that agreeing on furniture was another difficulty.
However, despite these difficulties, nine-in-ten couples (89%) said that the finished design made the stress worthwhile. The majority of those polled said their new renovation made them more comfortable (59%), more than half said they felt happier in their home (53%), and around four-in-ten said they felt calmer and less stressed after a renovation (39%).
“A home renovation is one of the most demanding journeys a couple embarks on together, with numerous decisions, budget considerations and trade-offs along the way,” explained Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist.
Interestingly, when measured against a similar report conducted by Houzz US, UK renovations appear to be much more likely to inducing break-up stress than those in the United States. Houzz US found that only 4% of stateside homeowners said their recent renovation made them consider breaking up from a significant other. That percentage jumped to 12% for couples who had been together for less than five years, and dropped to just 2% amongst those who had been together for 30 years or more.
