Why Home Improvement Services are on the up

The past year or so has been a really unusual time for everyone, and the effects have been highly individualistic on every household and industry. One thing, though, that most people had in common was the experience of spending a lot more time stuck indoors. The sporadic lockdowns forced us all to take stock of every room in our house, and notice all the little things that had gone under our radar when life was more normal. Households across Britain have found a new motivation – if they can muster any in these trying times – to take action, or get a plan in the works, to tackle those home improvements that have been in the back of their mind for a while now. A recent 2021 report by Rated People set out some very telling insights about the home improvement trends that are salient across Britain. A lot of people are now acting on the idea that they can affect the value of their property by making investments in affordable and manageable home renovations. The trends that were highlighted have direct implications for the survival of home improvement companies who need a stream of projects to work on as the world eases out of lockdown.

One of the most fundamental and impactful statistics that Rated People outline in their reporting was that over half of the UK population had the intention of making some sort of enhancements to their home this year in 2021. This stat exemplifies this massive surge in interest that has taken hold of over half the country’s population and the momentum that was generated last year has no end in sight. Interestingly, Glasgow was ranked as the British city that reported the second-highest amount of home improvements carried out last year and sits at number one on the top ten cities that Rated People found to have plans in the mix for carrying out renovation work in 2021. With 60% of homeowners planning work of this nature, central Scotland is clearly very lucrative for those in the trade industry.

Getting into the nuances of what these households are planning to actually do to their homes – i.e. where the opportunities lie for work – there is a plethora of different jobs that stood out in the report. Painting jobs; recarpeting; bathroom upgrades; kitchen fittings; and new wooden flooring were the top 5 jobs found to be on the cards for homeowners across Britain. Amongst other top jobs like plastering, tiling, and room conversions, the desires of all these consumers pose an excellent chance for skilled tradespeople across the nation to fulfill the demand that is clearly there and will continue to be so. In an age where consumers are never off their mobile phones and laptops and trust the top search results on Google and customer reviews, it is imperative that tradespeople make a name for themselves and become visible online for local search queries. When these massive populations of consumers pick up their phones and search for local construction companies that are trusted and professional and will save them the hassle of a DIY job, companies must break through the noise and clearly make the case that they are the best choice for that new driveway or conservatory they want to be done.

The Green Homes Grant Scheme launched by the Government has boosted the demand for sustainable and eco improvement measures, with the desire for skylight installation rising by just below 90% last year. This is a direct result of the shift to home-working that everyone made in the lockdown era, where there was an upward trend found towards making changes to the home so that there was a greater sense of connection to the outdoors. Companies specialising in the likes of thermal insulation, and solar panel installation will be kept busy in 2021 with a 91% and 168% popularity increase reported, respectively.

It is clear that there are some lasting effects that the pandemic has had on UK homeowners and their perception of what they want their home to look like and feature, especially with sustainability measures being subsidised and pushed by the Government. This shift poses a fantastic opportunity for tradespeople and local companies, like Armour Home Improvements (who specialize in Armour Double Glazing Ayrshire) to meet the moment and thrive on the opportunities that are continuing to funnel in.