Many people today are watching home improvement shows and these shows seem to be pushing Canadians to renovate their home into a dream home instead of realizing the financial realities of renovation.

Surveys show that, although 60% of the people in the survey who had a home renovation worked up a budget for it, 27% spent more than they had originally budgeted.

It is not easy to stay within budget when you are doing a renovation. Add to that pressure all of the home improvement shows on T.V. or all of the decorating magazines that make the homeowner want the latest and fanciest in appliances and decoration. Most people who renovate their homes want to stay within budget, but all of these influences can frequently tempt them to extend themselves a bit to have the features they see on T.V.

Even without this, it is difficult to predict extra costs and make sure there is enough money to cover any project overruns. Financial experts suggest that you have the financing for the project lined up ahead of time in the form of a personal loan or a home equity loan. This will give the homeowner the necessary cushion for added costs. Even if you don’t use the line of credit, it is good to have it to cover contingencies. What if you are having a room added, and then you find out there is a problem with the electrical system that has to be repaired?

The surveys show that 68% of the respondents used savings to pay for their home renovations, but they still will require planning to stave off financial problems. Of the homeowners surveyed, 34% were borrowing to cover the cost of the home improvement.

Don’t get caught up in the trap of trying to imitate the beautiful mansions you see on these home and garden T.V shows. Don’t let the beginning of a home improvement become the end of your marriage. A study by the British Gas Association and published on their website http://house.co.uk indicates that more than half of the do-it-yourself home improvement projects are inspired by these shows, and that 80% of the families doing the projects are having arguments over them.

Two thirds of the families have serious disagreements over the color scheme of the project! The aim of the research was to learn consumer attitude toward DIY. The site, http://house.co.uk is a a national registry of screened tradesmen who are promoted by HomePro Ltd. the leading on line supplier of trade professionals.

Having a professional may help a family avoid the deputes that occur in DIY projects and may save money in the long run, since so many families have to pay extra to fix their DIY mistakes.

Here are the top ten reasons for the disputes:

10. The Mars/Venus trap. Men are from Mars and women are from Venus and they cannot agree.
9. Lack of knowledge to do the job.
8. The high costs.
7. Stress.
6. The disruption in the household the renovations cause.
5. Finding time to complete the project.
4. Unfinished jobs.
3. Misconceptions about the job. The T.V. show makes it look so easy.
2. The one doing the job really doesn’t want to do it.

And the top reason (hardly seems worthwhile): Disagreements over the color scheme.

Many people are reluctant to decide about moving because of uncertainty in the housing market, so they are following the lead of T.V. shows and renovating instead of moving.