In this two-minute read, we analyse what the most
popular home improvement trends tell us about the market.

The
pandemic didn’t just trigger an exodus of city slickers moving to the country,
it also kick-started a multi-billion-pound home renovation boom.

UK
property owners spent £110 billion on home improvements* last year – a 30%
increase year-on-year.

While
some people kept things simple by giving a few rooms a lick of paint, others
embarked on major projects resulting in a 25% increase in planning applications
for home extensions.**

What
kind of renovations are popular right now? Let’s examine an analysis of
planning applications compiled by Barbour ABI.

Most
popular home improvements

Garage
developments

Applications
to develop garages (and turn them into home offices or additional living space)
soared by 25%. The trend was most notable in Scotland, where applications rose
by 50%.

Garden
buildings and works

There
was a 7.5% hike in applications, reflecting our growing desire to spend more
time in our gardens connecting with nature. (This only represents a small
proportion of the garden rooms that were installed, as many did not require
planning permission.)

Extensions

Far
and away the most popular type of home improvement requiring planning
permission, extensions accounted for 81.7% of all applications – and were up by
4.3%.

Out
of favour

Conservatories

It
seems the conservatory may have been eclipsed by the garden room/home office as
there was a 21% drop in the number of planning applications for conservatories.

Loft
conversions

Applications
for loft conversions dropped by 9%. Historically, loft conversions have been
popular in areas such as London, where people develop upwards because they
don’t have the space to build outwards. But last year, many homeowners with
families left the capital, which might explain why this type of development
waned in popularity.

Conclusions

The
pandemic has brought about a re-evaluation of how we live, with many people
wanting more space – but not just any sort of space. People want the ability to
work from home, but to get away from children and distractions, hence the rise
in garden rooms and garage conversions instead of more open plan style spaces.

For expert advice about adding value to your
property, get in touch with us here at CWB Property.