We reveal the cost of fixtures and fittings when moving house

published 8 October 2018

Moving home is costly. The new house itself, along with the removal costs etc on top – it's not a cheap affair. Then there's all the new furniture you can't wait to buy. But according to new research, new homeowners are far wiser with their spending habits than given credit for.

The new research, conducting by LED Hut, revealed Brits spent on average £3,500 on fixtures and fittings in their new home. Compared to an average of £1,800 on furniture.

'It’s really quite surprising to see how homebuyers are choosing to spend their budget' remarks Paul Garner, ecommerce and marketing director at LED Hut. ' Traditionally, we would expect to see people splashing the cash on furniture and items to make the house homelier.'

'But it appears that savvy homebuyers are making decisions with more long-term benefits.'

stone wall house with roofs and white window

It's surprising in the sense that furniture is far more tempting, but not at the same time because it makes complete sense. A new home's a blank canvas. Getting your fixtures and fittings in place before you start decorating is key.

A staggering 48 per cent confessed to having lived without basic furniture such as a bed – when they moved into their new house.

They instead chose to budget upgrading the property's fixtures and fittings. Those spending on this felt it would increase the value of the house. While 23 per cent said they felt it made the house feel newer.

living room with blue wall and grey sofa cushion

'In reality it makes sense to upgrade fixtures, fittings, lighting, etc. first as these are the jobs that you are less likely to go back to at a later date.' explains Paul. 'In most cases, these sorts of changes will involve drilling holes and in turn, making a mess – not ideal once you’ve moved your brand new sofa in.'

When asked what purchases they made when first moving in, 62 per cent said new window treatments.

More than half, 54 per cent, chose to update the ceiling lights. While 42 per cent made a huge impact by changing the doors throughout the property.

hallway with blue shaded wall and brown staircase

1 in 5 even went as far as putting in new modern radiators, before buying furniture – a wise investment.

More than 1 in 3 said they had changed flooring or wall tiles. With 30 per cent revealing they invested in new electrical sockets and switches – presumably replacing unattractive existing white fittings.

The survey of 1,015 UK adults who have bought a house in the past two years, was carried out by LED Hut.

Heather Young has been Ideal Home’s Editor since late 2020, and Editor-In-Chief since 2023. She is an interiors journalist and editor who’s been working for some of the UK’s leading interiors magazines for over 20 years, both in-house and as a freelancer.