A new survey has found that gender stereotypes are alive and well when people buy a home.

When inspecting potential new homes, the survey found that women believe they put more importance on the kitchen compared to men and feel the bathroom and the size and number of bedrooms is a higher priority than they are for men.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, expect men to be checking whether a home has a garage or a workshop – more men than women say these would be a priority when buying a home.

Queenslanders spent more than $1 billion on home alterations and additions in the March quarter this year as more and more people decide to update their current home to avoid the costs involved with selling and buying a new one.

The bathroom is a popular area to renovate – especially considering women place a higher priority on this room during the buying process than men do.

The key to renovating – whether it’s the bathroom, kitchen or dining room – is to establish a budget long before the first wall is knocked down.

The last thing you want to do when renovating is over-capitalise and end up with a bathroom that cost thousands and thousands of dollars and now does not suit the rest of the house.

It’s okay if you intend renovating the whole house with the same level of opulence, but not so good if you’ve run out of money after you’ve overspent on things such as gilded bathroom taps and now can’t afford to install the shower.

The REIQ also urges the use of suitable qualified and properly licensed tradespeople – especially when bathroom renovations are often complex and involve electricity or plumbing.

Doing it yourself can prove to be not only costly, but deadly.

In today’s climate, many people are taking the opportunity to make their bathroom water and energy-wise when renovating.

It just makes sense to embrace sustainable housing principles – it will save you money and help protect the environmental future of this country.

The REIQ is working in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency to promote sustainable housing practices.

Sustainable alternatives to consider when renovating your bathroom include using rain water for toilet flushing, hot water, and showering; using AAA-rated taps and shower roses for water efficiency; installing mixer taps in showers to reduce hot water loss while you adjust the temperature; and installing a gas, solar or heat-pump hot water system for the greatest energy efficiency.