Last year saw an unprecedented rise in demand for home improvement – up by 32% in just 12 months*, and new data from the find-a-tradesperson platform, Rated People now reveals where in the UK demand has increased the most.
Uniquely placed with its own marketplace data, the findings are taken from the 2022 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report where Rated People analysed more than 800,000 home improvement jobs on its platform posted by homeowners around the UK in order to reveal which towns and cities are seeing the biggest increases in demand.
The places around the UK where demand increased the most
Llandrindod Wells in Wales saw demand increase by 131% in just 12 months – the biggest rise in the whole of the UK, and two other places in Wales also make the top 10 – third place Llandudno saw demand go up by 76% and demand increased by 66% in seventh place Swansea.
Many coastal areas feature in the top 10 towns and cities that have seen demand increase the most, including Llandudno and Swansea in Wales, and Torquay and Brighton in England, which is likely because so many homeowners relocated to areas away from big cities with more space.
The top 10 areas where demand for tradespeople increased the most in 2021:
- Llandrindod Wells +131%
- Dumfries and Galloway +86%
- Llandudno +76%
- Exeter +71%
- Harrogate +68%
- Truro +66%
- Swansea +66%
- Torquay +60%
- Brighton 58%
- Carlisle +58%
The most in-demand home improvement jobs
More than one in three homeowners (38%) want to revitalise their homes with a lick of paint this year. One in five (21%) are keen to have a new carpet and just under 20% of UK homeowners want to have some garden landscaping completed this year.
The top 15 jobs that homeowners want to do the most in 2022 includes staples like new kitchens and new bathrooms, but pandemic-influenced improvements like creating multifunctional space, home bars and outdoor entertaining areas are also now more popular than ever.
The home improvement jobs UK homeowners want to do the most in 2022:
- Painting – 38% (of UK homeowners want to do this this year)
- New carpet – 21%
- Garden landscaping – 19%
- New bathroom – 14%
- New wooden flooring – 12%
- New kitchen – 11%
- Tiling – 11%
- New windows – 11%
- Creating multifunctional spaces – 11%
- Building an outdoor entertaining area – 9%
- New roof – 8%
- Creating a home bar – 7%
- Adding an extension – 7%
- Loft conversion – 7%
- Adding a garden room – 7%
When looking at how homeowners are planning to invest their renovation budget in 2022 – their biggest priorities are around maximising space and enhancing the functionality of their homes in 2022. In fact, four of the top five improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on are all around space optimisation.
The home improvements homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022:
- Building an extension – £18,580 (average planned spend for this job)
- Building an annex – £16,731
- Adding an en-suite bathroom – £15,885
- New conservatory/orangery – £15,564
- Building a wall to create separate rooms – £13,977
- Creating a home bar – £13,939
- Creating a home gym – £13,574
- New kitchen – £12,057
- New porch – £11,252
- Adapting a room to make it multifunctional – £10,772
Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People commented:
“The pandemic brought about lots of challenges for tradespeople to navigate, but it’s also given rise to a huge increase in demand for their services as more people want to adapt the homes that they’re now spending so much more time in.
More homeowners than ever are looking for tradespeople and we want to help trades across the UK make the most of this time for their business success. So, if you’re looking for ways to attract more customers, head to Rated People to find out more.”
To see the full research and the latest edition of the Home Improvement Trends Report, visit: www.ratedpeople.com/blog/home-improvement-trends-report
