Spending more time at home during the coronavirus pandemic has spurred a majority of homeowners to think about how they'd like to update their residence, according to the home design site Houzz. The survey also found that just over half of respondents who were in the midst of renovations when the pandemic was declared were able to continue work on their home, although interruptions were more likely in regions that were harder hit by COVID-19.

Houzz issued the survey between April 22 and April 29. It collected 983 responses.

Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they have been dreaming about changes that would help them enjoy their home more. Nine out of 10 respondents said they plan to pursue these renovations once stay-at-home orders and other restrictions related to the pandemic are lifted.

Thirty-five percent said the increased time at home has made them more interested in improving their outdoor spaces. Thirty-four percent said they have been thinking about improving their bathroom, while 32 percent said they would like to improve their bathroom.

Twenty-seven percent said they are planning to do outdoor upgrades once the pandemic has passed, while 25 percent plan to improve their master bathroom and 23 percent plan to renovate their kitchen. Among those planning to upgrade their homes, popular items on the checklist included new décor (47 percent), better lighting (30 percent), and an improved layout (27 percent).

Fifty-two percent of respondents who said they were in the middle of a home renovation or design project when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11 said they were able to continue with the work. Forty-seven percent put their project on hold, with 40 percent of this share saying they did not think the work was urgent enough to continue and that it could be resumed later on. Just 1 percent said they canceled a project due to the pandemic.

Homeowners were least likely to halt work on home offices, with 70 percent saying work on this part of the home continued. Sixty-nine percent said they moved forward with a master bedroom project, while 56 percent continued with a master bathroom renovation and 54 percent pushed ahead on a kitchen remodel.

The hard-hit Northeast region was least likely to move forward with a project, with just 37 percent of respondents from this area doing so. Forty percent of those in the Midwest said they had continued with a project, along with 56 percent of those from the West and 64 percent of those from the West.

"Personal health and safety, as well as that of the professionals working in their homes, were top considerations for homeowners, but less than half of those with unfinished projects put their project on hold," said Marine Sargsyan, senior economist at Houzz. "We're also hearing from our pro community that certain projects are able to restart as shelter in place orders are becoming more relaxed and lifted completely in some areas."

Three-quarters of respondents said they were working with a professional on their residential renovation project. Homeowners often said they were able to find online tools, such as remote options for invoices and contract approvals, to continue proceeding with a project.

While the Houzz survey suggests that the pandemic did not significantly affect renovations already in progress, the National Association of Home Builders recently noted how new remodeling inquiries were down significantly. A NAHB survey of its members found that 96 percent said the rate of renovation inquiries had slowed down, with 93 percent agreeing that homeowners were less likely to schedule renovations during the pandemic.