Poles prefer to renovate homes themselves, survey finds

A significant majority of Poles opt for DIY approaches to home renovations, with 55% undertaking such projects themselves or with assistance from loved ones. This trend highlights a practical and cost-conscious attitude towards home improvement.

Anna Zachara-Widła, a consumer behavior researcher at Nieruchomosci-online.pl, noted that cost is a primary driver, alongside a personal conviction that one can achieve better results independently. "The deciding factors are, of course, costs, and often the internal conviction that we will do it better ourselves," she explained.

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The deciding factors are, of course, costs, and often the internal conviction that we will do it better ourselves.

While 30% of respondents completed their last renovation entirely on their own, and another 25% managed with help from family or friends, only 24% entrusted the entire job to professionals. The rising costs of both materials and labor, with professional service rates potentially doubling in some areas over five years, further encourage this do-it-yourself approach.

However, this doesn't mean professionals are entirely sidelined. Zachara-Widła observes that people often hire specialists for more technical or challenging aspects of a renovation, while handling simpler tasks themselves. This hybrid model balances cost savings with the need for expert execution on critical elements. Homeowners are also more likely to tackle renovations solo than apartment dwellers.

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This doesn't mean we are massively giving up on professionals. We are simply trying to rationalize the scope of commissioned work more often. We entrust more difficult, technical stages or work requiring experience to specialists, and we perform simpler tasks ourselves.