Nearly 50% of homeowners are considering renovating their homes and 60% of them would like support for this project.

In order to understand and analyze their intentions regarding work, illiCO travaux, a network of nearly 200 agencies specializing in support for renovation and extension work (brokerage, site monitoring, etc.), conducted a survey with OpinionWay among French people from February 12 to 17, 2025. It reveals the motivations of owners for carrying out renovation work, but also their obstacles and the expected incentives. Thus, 60% of French people who are considering carrying out work want support from A to Z by quality professionals.

Nearly one in two homeowners are considering carrying out renovation work in their home...

While the real estate market has been declining for the past two years, the renovation market continues to grow. According to a survey conducted in February by OpinionWay for IlliCO travaux, more than 2 out of 7 homeowners have already completed renovation work in their homes (10%). This significant proportion reaches 73% among those over 77 and 65% among homeowners. "While the real estate market declined by 76% in 15, the number of quotes signed in our renovation brokerage agencies increased by 2024%. The renovation market continues to grow because people want to be better at home, and many are choosing to carry out work in their homes rather than move," analyzes Thierry Abriat, CEO of illiCO travaux.

But the French don't intend to stop there! Nearly half of homeowners (45%) plan to carry out renovation work in the next two years.

Among young people under 35, this figure rises to 63% and to 53% among those aged 35-49. Unsurprisingly, the desire to carry out renovation work increases with income level, as well as with the fact of living in a house: 57% of those in higher socio-professional categories are considering work (vs. 27% of those earning less than €2000/month) and 47% of homeowners (vs. 38% in apartments).

Objective of the work: reduce your energy bill and gain comfort

Regarding the objectives sought during renovation work, the first mentioned by owners is saving on their energy bill (according to 44% of them), followed by their desire to beautify their home for 40% of them and improving their comfort for 39%. To a lesser extent, also cited are the increase in the financial value of their real estate capital (19%), the gain in living space (12%) or the adaptation of the home to their mobility (11%).

However, the objectives differ among the French. Reducing energy bills is the number one argument for men or people over 1, while homeowners under 65 and those in higher socio-professional categories are as interested in saving on their bills (35%) as in improving their comfort (54%). Those under 54 are the ones who most often mention gaining living space (35% of them) and increasing the value of their home (34%). For women, improving their home is the primary objective (29%), ahead of saving money (43%) or comfort (41%).

There are also differences depending on the property inhabited: house owners primarily mention reducing their energy bills (46%) before modernizing their property (40%), while apartment owners prioritize comfort (45%) over savings (37%).

For Thierry Abriat: "For the French, the priority when it comes to renovations is above all to save on their energy bill! Then come the beautification and modernization of the home, which are also important. In any case, these two aspects are inseparable: when we carry out beautification work, we optimize the energy performance of the home, in particular through better insulation or the choice of materials to improve this performance."

Cost-benefit arbitration, the main factor in carrying out work

However, obstacles remain to carrying out renovation work. Among these, the financial dimension is the most significant: 6 out of 10 homeowners say the cost of the work is holding them back (62%), regardless of their age or socio-professional category. Fear of exceeding the planned budget also affects 31% of them. The financial aspect of the work is therefore at the heart of a cost-benefit trade-off that is essential in homeowners' thinking.

For Thierry Abriat: "Certainly, carrying out renovation work represents a significant cost, on average €30.000 per project at illiCO travaux. But it's a strategic investment to improve your quality of life at home today and capitalize on your assets tomorrow. Whether it's to gain space, improve your daily comfort, or prepare for a sale, renovation work allows you to maximize the asset value of your home."

The second obstacle mentioned concerns the quality of the craftsmen or the work. Thus, for nearly 4 out of 10 owners, the difficulty in finding quality craftsmen (39%) is a major obstacle, followed by the fear of poor workmanship and poor quality work (33%) or scams (25%). This is followed by the stress generated by the work (22% of responses), the complexity of the administrative procedures to be carried out (application for building permits, prior declaration of work, renovation assistance) (18%), and the lack of experience in carrying out work (15%), time (12%) and the fear of exceeding deadlines (11%). These obstacles are even more present among the younger generation.

60% of French people are considering hiring a professional to manage and carry out their work

To counter this fear of being faced with poor quality work, 60% of homeowners who plan to carry out work in the next two years would like to hire a professional. This desire is even stronger among those under 35 (72% of them would like to do so), who consider their lack of experience (33%) and the complexity of the procedures (33%) as major obstacles to carrying out work. Homeowners in the Île-de-France region are particularly inclined to seek professional assistance for their renovation work (82%), particularly due to the difficulty in finding quality craftsmen (50% of them cite this point as a hindrance).

The desire to be supported is also more marked among CSP+ (76% compared to 55% among CSP-) and among apartment owners (68% compared to 57% among house owners), although this trend is strong regardless of the typologies of owners.

Supervision from A to Z by quality professionals: the best incentive to carry out work

illiCO travaux also wanted to survey the French on the elements that could encourage them to carry out renovation work in their homes.

Three main categories of incentives emerge from the survey:

• The financial aspect: the French want above all to be certain of paying the right price (56%) and to obtain quotes quickly (20%), particularly those under 35 (37% mention this incentive)
• Quality of work: 52% of French people want to have a guarantee of the quality of the work carried out (58% among those under 35), as well as a guarantee of the professionalism of the craftsmen (35%, particularly in the Île-de-France region). Respecting deadlines is also an important criterion (23%).
• Support: Owners want support both in administrative procedures and obtaining aid (29%) and in the stages of the work (from selecting companies to receiving the work, 29%). Owners also mention expecting advice beforehand, for example on the type of work to be carried out (25%).

For Thierry Abriat: "90% of our clients call on us for our Project Management Assistance (PMA) service, which provides comprehensive support, from the feasibility study to the completion of the work: advice, assistance with administrative procedures, help in obtaining a building permit, help in filing a work declaration, help in finding subsidies, planning the work, organizing the various missions, stakeholders and site monitoring. The project management assistant (PMA) works hand in hand with the various stakeholders and professionals on the construction sites."

Conclusion

While a large majority of homeowners have already carried out renovation work, nearly half of French people plan to undertake some in the next two years. These renovations are primarily aimed at reducing energy costs and improving comfort, while modernizing and enhancing the value of their property.

While the cost of the work is the main obstacle for the majority of homeowners, other concerns arise, including the quality of the work, the difficulty of finding reliable tradespeople, and the complexity of the process. To address these concerns, illiCO travaux offers comprehensive support from quality professionals, guaranteeing homeowners a fair price, work completed on time, as well as assistance with administrative procedures and the selection of contractors.

Methodology : This study was carried out by OpinionWay from February 12 to 17, 2025, with a sample of 1040 people, representative of the French homeowner population aged 18 and over, constituted according to the quota method, with regard to the criteria of sex, age, socio-professional category, category of agglomeration and region of residence.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.