Most Popular Home Improvements Revealed
Most popular home improvements revealed – With over a year of being confined to our homes more than usual, many people have been looking for ways to improve them. There are so many ways to extend or add value to your home. Here’s a quick rundown of the most popular options that people have chosen in the last year.
Extensions
Far and away, the most popular method for improving a home is building an extension. With house prices rising across the country, adding an extension is now the affordable choice. It’s a way that provides more living space but also adds value to your home.
The biggest boom in the number of applications happened in the north of England. This is because the rising house prices in the area made it more economical to build than buy a new home for the first time.
Garden Works
There has been a massive increase in the number of applications for planning permission for garden buildings. It seems that many homeowners are looking to merge and expand their indoor space by using some of their outdoor space. Unsurprisingly this is happening primarily in rural areas where garden space doesn’t come at a premium.
Garages
Garages are another popular new addition to homes. The applications are for a mix of building and converting garages. However, it is quite probable that most of the newly built garage buildings are being used as home offices or gyms. The planning applications don’t indicate the intended use of the space. Anecdotally, many new garages are not becoming homes for cars but serving as other functions.
What’s Out
While there are areas in the country where these options are still happening, on average, there has been a drop in the number of homeowners opting for conservatories and getting loft conversions. The only place where loft conversions were growing in popularity was in London, likely a reflection of the lack of garden space for other expansion options.
With conservatories, homeowners may have simply been opting for the smaller style of conservatory. Many don’t require planning permission. These options are a little cheaper and easier to build. However, it is harder to track the numbers homeowners are building.
Other Improvement Trends
It’s not just improvements that increase living space that are growing in popularity. A lot of homeowners have also found ways to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Spending more time at home increased heating costs for many people. Thus, making the drive to change to more efficient or renewable heating options more appealing.
One lesser-known option that is growing in popularity is the installation of a heat pump. These are clever devices that can use the heat from the air or the ground to heat your home. They can keep your home at a comfortable temperature all year round while using a tiny amount of electricity. However, to get one fitted, you do need to get someone to do some accurate calculations on the rate at which your home loses heat. These heat loss calculations let you pick the right size pump for your home.
If you’d like to find out more about the calculations required for heat pumps, get in touch with the Assessment Hive team today.
