Men don’t notice DIY changes to their home

BRITISH men are hopeless at noticing changes around the house.

A study found that women up and down Britain have changed everything from curtains to wallpaper and even moved furniture without their other half noticing.

One in ten women went as far as to say they have painted a room and one in three said they have hung up pictures or framed photos without anyone realizing or commenting.

The study also found on average men miss more than half of the changes to their house every year with two thirds of women saying they have to point out the alterations they make to get any response at all.

In comparison most women say their mum nearly always spots changes they make straight away with friends also more likely to notice different cushions or colour schemes.

Helen Gunter from British retailer TK Maxx who polled 2,000 women for the research said: “This research just proves something that women have been saying for years. When it comes to our homes, men and women just see things differently.

“While women feel that it’s those little extra touches that are the best way to provide an instant style refresh and are quick to spot these in their friends, neighbours and families’ homes, men fail to notice changes right under their own nose.

“But keeping a home stylish and fashionable and also making it feel like a home at the same time can be a full time job. It can’t be fun to put so much time and effort in and have them go completely unnoticed.

At least the other women in our lives are likely to acknowledge the hard work that goes in to creating a home that shows off your personal style without breaking the bank.“ A quarter said it annoyed them that their other half didn’t notice their efforts to make the home look nice while nearly half said they felt that they weren’t appreciated.

One in ten women went as far as to say that they thought their partner noticed but just didn’t care about how the house looked. New cushions were more likely to be missed than anything else while women also reported that their partners were oblivious to new plants, lampshades and changes to the garden furniture.

One in six said they had completely rearranged the layout of furniture in their home and it had gone unnoticed. The study revealed that the average women spent £629.20 (€749) on their home a year with most of the big purchases bought in spring.

While forty per cent of women never bother asking their partner before making changes or buying new furniture or furnishings seeing it as ‘pointless’.