A recent article published by the Evening Gazette has highlighted a trend towards home improvement, in response to the fall in house sales. This comes at a time when home improvement businesses are experiencing low demand and struggling with the recession. Additionally, people are wary of selling because house prices are down and banks are being tough on lending, so mortgages are difficult to get.

Other reports have also shown that UK home-owners are choosing to carry out DIY improvements instead of employing skilled workers and this has hit the industry hard, with many small businesses unable to find work. Some DIY experts are saying that the fall in mortgage interest rates is what is fueling the DIY boom, as people have to spend less money on their home overall and are therefore finding other ways to invest in it; in this case, by improving it.

In fact, one kitchen and bathroom supplier said that it had seen an 80% increase in visitors to its stores from January to March this year. According to Paul Henderson the Sales Director at Court Homemakers: “People are obviously concerned about the economic situation but they are encouraged by the fall in the cost of borrowing and are taking the decision to invest in improvements to their existing homes rather than seeking to enter the property market.”

Traditionally, the Easter holiday is the busiest period for home improvement stores and according to research by the Yorkshire Bank 71% of UK citizens are intending to do some home improvements over the Easter break.

The study also showed that expert predictions regarding the increase in DIY activity were correct, as 61% of the people surveyed said that they would be doing their own home improvement work such as adding solar panels to a roof or creating a new kitchen design rather than hiring a professional for the job. However, 11% of these people said that they later would probably have to hire a tradesperson to finish their DIY job or spend more money to fix or finish a botched attempt.

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