Almost one-fifth of homeowners will begin home improvements amid the threat of a second wave of Covid-19, research shows.
With new lockdown measures introduced this week, including the recommendation to work from home where possible, it appears that many homeowners are considering which home improvements will most benefit them over the next few months.
A total of 18% of homeowners plan to act sooner rather than later on new projects, and 81% said that they won’t postpone home improvements because of a potential second wave*.
Many of us embraced the extra time at home during lockdown earlier this year by making home improvements, with home office renovations and DIY garden projects particularly popular.
Ben Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, a mobile billing service for trades, said: “With a second wave upon us, it is our hope that the new restrictions will still allow home improvement works to continue, as builders have gone to extreme lengths to do all they can to work safely while sustaining the growth of the sector.
“As we have seen from the sentiments established in this research, this could in fact help the trades bounce back even quicker as people will rush to hire a tradesperson for their desired work.”
In Scotland, restrictions were tightened on Wednesday to drive down the infection rate of Covid-19, but tradespeople are still allowed in people’s homes.
Surge in Uptake for Home Improvements
Tradespeople have endured a challenging year, with the initial lockdown measures forcing some companies to temporarily shut up shop. But the eventual move to allow tradespeople back into our homes over the summer has led to a surge in uptake.
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Powered Now reports that 15% of tradespeople say that client demand is now the highest it has been following the announcement of lockdown, with the construction and trade sectors experiencing a recovery in the months of July and August.
The Office for National Statistics recently reported that sales of household goods and DIY, saw a 9.9% jump in sales, showcasing that the increasing prevalence of home improvements are strongly aiding the construction sector’s recovery.
"Over the past few months, we had been seeing in UK construction indexes what was a really welcome confirmation of the trend we have been experiencing – the trade sectors are back,” added Dyer. “This is great news. It means that this important sector is doing its part in the recovery from Covid-19.”
*The findings come from a survey of 2,017 homeowners by Powered Now, assessing homeowners’ attitudes to home improvements amid the pandemic, and how a second wave would change their plans.
