Britain has long been a nation of enthusiastic home-improvers. For decades, we have had the pleasurable — and sometimes less pleasurable — experience of being able to watch television shows about buildings and what we can do to make them better, or different, often through our own efforts.

Back in the 1950s, Barry Bucknell’s home improvement shows drew millions of viewers, and our parents would watch enthralled to see if one of Bucknell’s DIY projects worked (for he had some spectacular mishaps). Now, DIY stores make squillions of pounds (though admittedly profits have dipped as more of us decide to get a professional in); there are books that offer us advice on everything from how to change a washer to how to create a perfect two-storey extension and, of course, there are millions eager to watch the plethora of television experts, myself included, telling them how to go about things. Surely we must all be living in total, utter perfection?

Well, don’t be too sure of that. I certainly don’t live in a perfectly decorated Zen zone, and I rather suspect that the same goes for most of the population. Still, it gives us something to strive for. One thing that is apparent is that we seem to have a tremendous desire to nest in some way or another, and to continually improve that nest.

So why isn’t perfection achieved, given how much time we are all putting in? What is missing? Perhaps a healthy dose of realism about just what you can do — for not being realistic about what is achievable for the amount of time and money you have is a recipe for disaster.