Abstract of an article published in The Daily, December 22, 1999

Home repairs and renovations - 1998

Homeowners spent an average of $1,670 repairing or renovating their homes in 1998, basically unchanged from 1997 and still well below the peak of $2,710 in 1989.

In 1998, average spending on work contracted out was $1,070, continuing an upward trend that began in 1995. However, the average remained below the 1989 peak of $1,820.

On the other hand, spending on materials purchased separately has been on a downward trend since 1987. In 1998, owners spent on average $600 for materials.

In total, homeowners spent $12.8 billion on repairs and renovations, virtually the same amount as in 1997. About 67% of the nation's 7.6 million homeowners made repairs or renovations to their buildings last year.

Of these 7.6 million homeowners, 9% spent $5,000 or more. Still, for many homeowners, expenditures were modest (about 24% spent less than $500).

Highest average spending in Ontario and British Columbia

Homeowners in Ontario and British Columbia spent the most on repairs and renovations. Those in Ontario averaged $1,810, while average spending in British Columbia reached $1,760. For the fourth consecutive year, homeowners in New Brunswick spent the least, an average of $1,240 per household.

Note to readers

Data from the 1998 Homeowner Repair and Renovation Survey were collected in March 1999 from a sample of about 20,000 homeowners.

To ease historical comparisons, data from previous years have been adjusted to reflect price changes in the construction field. Only summary level expenditures from previous years have been adjusted.

A change to the survey's questionnaire was introduced in 1998. Questions on repairs and maintenance were moved to the beginning of the questionnaire because they are the more common type of spending. In previous years this block of questions was at the end. This may have had an impact on reporting patterns. For this reason, comparisons with previous years in this release refer only to total expenditures on repairs and renovations.

Owners in Ontario and British Columbia also spent the most on contracting out. Of every dollar they spent on repairs and renovations, about 70 cents went to work contracted out. Even though these two provinces represented just over half of total homeowner households, their combined expenditures for contractor work accounted for 59% of the $8.2 billion spent nationally on contractors.

Newfoundlanders continued to have the largest proportion of do-it-yourself activity. Overall, two-thirds of their repair and renovation budget went to purchase building materials. Nova Scotians were a distant second with 46% of their budgets spent on materials they bought themselves.

Rural homeowners more likely to be do-it-yourselfers

Rural area homeowners were more likely than their urban counterparts to be do-it-yourselfers. Of all rural homeowners, 59% purchased materials separately, compared with 53% for urban homeowners. The opposite was true for spending on contract work. Only 31% of rural homeowners relied on contractors, compared with 38% of urban homeowners.

Overall, rural homeowners spent an average $1,720 on repairs and renovations, compared with $1,660 for their urban counterparts. They spent considerably more on materials than urban owners ($800 versus $540).

Owners spent more on older dwellings

Not surprisingly, the older the dwelling, the greater the amount spent on repairs and maintenance. For example, owners occupying houses built before 1946 spent an average $710 for repairs and maintenance, compared with only $260 spent by owners of houses built after 1990.

Spending on renovations followed a similar pattern. Owners of homes built before 1946 spent an average $730, whereas those occupying homes built in 1991 or latter spent on average only $180 for renovations.

Household income also played a major role in home repair and renovation. Homeowners whose household income was less than $20,000 spent an average of $830 on repairs and renovations. In contrast, households whose income was $80,000 or more spent on average $3,060.

Similarly, only 54% of households with an income under $20,000 did some kind of repairs or renovations, compared with 77% of households in the highest income group ($80,000 and over).

Summary data from the 1998 Homeowner Repair and Renovation Survey are available free of charge on Statistics Canada's Web site (www.statcan.ca). The menu path is "Canadian statistics", "The people", "Families, households and housing", and then "Expenditures". Tables presenting detailed repair and renovation data for Canada and the provinces (62F0061XDB/XPB) are also available, as are custom tabulations.