Home improvements: good looks appeal to women

And the results show there's some truth to the old clichés: while aesthetics are more important to women, improvements that create some extra space are more popular with men.

It seems today's typical 'home improver' is a woman, aged somewhere between 35 and 44. Some 45% of the women surveyed said they were planning some alterations, compared with 38% of men.

So did 48% of 35-44 year-olds, compared with 29% of 18-24 year-olds.

Yet 18-24 year-olds were the most likely to fund their improvements by borrowing: 18.6% of the people in that age group who were planning home improvements said they'd borrow money to finance them, compared with 9.2% of respondents in general.

Ian Williams of Ocean Finance said: "It's interesting to see how our priorities differ.

“Obviously, a lot of jobs add to a home's looks as well as the available floor space, but our research still highlights a clear male / female difference.

"On a more practical note, you can't overstate the importance of planning ahead financially, whatever your age or gender. Home improvements can add a lot more than they cost to the value of a home, but it's extremely important that people get all the funding lined up before they start - there's nothing worse than getting halfway through a major job and running out of money."