What the latest home improvement trends say about the property 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.

So what kind of renovations are popular right now?

Let’s examine an analysis of planning applications compiled by Barbour ABI.

The Most Popular Home Renovations

Garage Developments  

Applications to develop garages (turning 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.

The pandemic has brought about a re-evaluation of how we live, with many people wanting more space (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 advice about how to add value to your property, get in touch with us here at Butler Residential and we will be happy to help.

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