What would your dream home be?
More than one in ten (12 percent) would describe Tony Stark’s penthouse as their dream house – whilst a staggering 65 percent of millennials (24-38 year olds) are prevented from buying their perfect pad due to the cost, according to new research.
A new study of 2,005 Brits by Direct Line Home Insurance has revealed the extent of the gap between our dream home and the reality facing many, especially the younger generation.
According to the report, 12 percent of respondents described the Iron Man-sion as their dream house.
Tony Stark’s New York retreat boasts stunning views, a tech lab and a Hall of Armour featuring all the iterations of the famous super suit.
It is not all about modern technology and artificial intelligence homes though as Downtown Abbey, Kevin’s house from Home Alone and Uncle Phil’s Bel-Air mansion also made the top five.
There is bad news for Iron Man; a history of destruction, idiosyncratic toys and weapons and an owner with a long line of enemies has also driven the cost of insuring the property through the sky-scraper-high roof.
In response to the findings, Direct Line’s valuation experts calculated the cost of securing home insurance for a full list of fictional homes with Thunderbird’s Tracey Island revealed as the most expensive to protect due to its size, vehicles and the potential dangers associated with space travel.
The study also revealed what features the perfect modern dream house should have. The ideal abode was found to be a beachfront property featuring an infinity pool (22 percent selecting this as one of the features they’d most like), giant hot tub (22 percent), fully equipped gym (21 percent) and sauna (15 percent).
This was also analysed by Direct Line’s underwriters and they concluded that home insurance for this property would be £2,500 per year.
This takes into account the fact that it is a decent size and the increased risk of being on a beach (flood and storm) and all the internal plumbing which could increase the escape of water risk.
Only eight percent of respondents said that they do currently own their dream house. The top main reasons Brits do not already own their dream home are:
- It costs too much (56 percent)
- It doesn’t exist (16 percent)
- It would cost too much to insure (13 percent)
- Don’t know if it is possible to exist (10 percent)
- Still living with parents (9 percent)
- I prefer to rent (6 percent) – this figure rises to 8 percent for Gen Z (16-23 year olds)
The study was conducted to celebrate the launch of Direct Line’s Fast Response.
The insurer will be at a customer’s home within 24 hours to make immediate decisions to get their life back on track if their home has been severely damaged by a water leak.
The Nation’s Dream House – FICTIONAL
- Tony Stark’s penthouse
- Kevin’s house from Home Alone
- Downtown Abbey
- Wayne Manor (Batman)
- Uncle Phil's mansion, from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Thunderbird's Tracey Island
- Monica's apartment from Friends
- Bag End, from Lord of The Rings
- 221b Baker Street, from Sherlock Holmes
- Carrie's Apartment, From Sex and the City
- The Burrow from Harry Potter
- Pemberley from Pride and Prejudice
- Dracula's Castle
- Barbie's Dreamhouse
- Casterly Rock, from Game of Thrones
- Simpson's House (742 Evergreen Terrace)
- Wallace and Gromit's home
- Burns Manor from The Simpsons
- Pineapple Under the Sea, from Spongebob Square Pants
- The Gingerbread House, from Hansel and Gretel
- The Spice Bus, from Spice World
Calculating the Cost of insuring Fictional Homes:
- Thunderbird's Tracey Island £100,000 – An entire island with cover for the home, and all vehicles including underwater and space travel.
- Downtown Abbey £100,000 – A Grade 1 listed building with domestic staff, excellent collection of antiques and fine art. Due to the size of the sums insured at risk, it is likely this would be fairly expensive to insure.
- Burns Manor from The Simpsons £80,000 – A manor with all of the finest paintings and technology and wine collection which will all need covering.
- Dracula's Castle £75,000 – A Gothic castle, though a Bat infestation could be costly due to bat protection laws and not always covered
- Wayne Manor (Batman) £60,000 - Wayne Manor is the most beautifully presented 11 bed-property and, whilst it is located in the notoriously crime ridden Gotham, it has a complex security system complete with an in-house superhero.
- Casterly Rock, from Game of Thrones £50,000 – This property needs to be covered for Coastal erosion, normally excluded
- Xanadu (Citizen Kane) £40,000 – A large manor with cover for the Winter Sports Equipment (Sledge) while on a winter sports holiday.
- Tony Stark's penthouse, from Iron Man £25,000 – The ultimate connected home with voice assistant and monitoring of who has accessed the property
- Uncle Phil's mansion, from Fresh Prince of Belair £10,000 – A bell air mansion with a live-in butler
- The Burrow from Harry Potter £5,000 – This property is held up with magic! So, an increased price due to the foundations
- Monica's apartment from Friends £3,000 – While the flat itself is not that large, Rachel’s wardrobe will increase the cover required for contents, and the door is never locked!
- Bag End, from Lord of the Rings £3,000 – This property has a modern Sedum roof, so is taken into account when looking at the construction of the property.
- Kevin's house, from Home Alone £2,500 – But a 25 percent discount if Kevin is home to keep the burglars out, plus the increased cover for religious festivals
- Teletubbies' Tubbietronic Superdome £2,500 – A Modern property with a Sedum roof and technology inside
- Carrie's Apartment, from Sex and the City £1,800 – A small studio apartment, Carrie’s wardrobe will increase the cover required for contents. Unlikely to be entertaining guests due to recent issues with colleagues.
- The Spice Bus, from Spice World £1,700 – The ultimate mobile home, though slightly dated and the technology will need an update, Includes European breakdown cover!
- The Gingerbread House, from Hansel and Gretel £1,000 – A house that is decorated with iced gems, (Cheaper than real Gems) no cover for mysterious disappearance (i.e. fixtures being eaten).
- Wallace and Gromit's home £1,000 – A modern UK home with state of the art technology and a never ending train set, plus Pet Insurance for Gromit.
- Barbie's Dreamhouse £800 – This is only a small property, however, Barbie accessories will need to be covered.
- 221b Baker Street, from Sherlock Holmes £500 – This is a very small London flat, Sherlock’s Violin being the most valuable item within the flat.
- Pineapple Under the Sea, from Spongebob Square Pants £500 – A small quirkily designed house, built to never flood.
- Simpson's House (742 Evergreen Terrace) £500 – A standard American house, however, the sofa has not been changed for over 20 years, a claim here would mean this would be replaced new for old
