'Home improvements should be chosen over holidays'.

Home improvements are "more essential" than going on holiday, one expert has said, urging property owners to consider taking on more DIY projects.

Andrew Leech, director at the National Home Improvement Council, has argued that people choosing to spend money on taking a break rather than renovating or redecorating their abode is "a negative approach".

His comments follow a report from Kingfisher, which owns DIY store B&Q, revealing that like-for-like sales dropped by 4.4 per cent and total transactions fell by 3.6 per cent in the ten weeks leading up to July 10th 2010.

The home improvement most people are concentrating on is their gardens, the expert noted, as people are looking forward to the summer and tend not to think as much about their interiors.

Putting in extra decking or a patio is likely to be one of the DIY activities home owners are focusing on at the moment as they may want somewhere to sit outside during the warmer months, he said.

Source : Bob Witham - Rated People