Is the construction industry benefiting from home improvement projects?

It’s safe to say the Brits like their home improvement projects, with the average person redecorating their home about 36 times over their lifetime and each one usually taking 18 days or so, on average, to complete. The Office for National Statistics predicts that the British population as a whole spend nearly £30 billion on home improvements every year. That works out at £43 million each week!

You’d be forgiven for thinking, based on those figures, that business must be booming for construction traders. However, due to a rise in DIY tasks, an increasing number of people are choosing to take on the projects themselves and avoiding the sometimes hefty cost of hiring professionals. As a result, home improvement projects might actually be counterproductive for the construction industry and in fact stunt their growth. Niftylift, suppliers of access platforms, explore further:

DIY on the rise

The UK has grown to become a country of DIY enthusiasts, with the average Brit spending around £1,085 on improvement projects. Moreover, 15% of us attempt all DIY tasks ourselves, whilst DIY stores have enjoyed an increase of around 42% in sales for DIY products. This could be down to the fact that less than one in ten home owners currently consider their home to be perfect, with 55% saying they have a long to-do list of improvements and changes they would like to get done.

And it isn’t just the men that are getting stuck-in with DIY. The Telegraph reported a rise in the female DIY-er. 70% of women said they are happy to do DIY around the house, and 77% said they would happily strip a room of wallpaper without asking for any help. Furthermore, in a B&Q survey, three-quarters of women believe themselves to be just as competent at basic DIY skills as any man — and of the 60% of women who are currently in a relationship, 35% say that they do more home improvements around the house than their partners.

It’s found that the most popular home improvement jobs include painting walls, laying down new carpets, installing new bathrooms/kitchens and building extensions; the majority of which will require a high degree of experience in order for the home owner to accomplish this on their own. The most easily achieved DIY tasks are actually among the most outstanding jobs in the British home: painting and wallpapering, buying new furniture, and laying decking or a patio in the garden.

Faith in the professionals

Despite this rise in DIY popularity however, over 80% of British people delay undertaking important DIY tasks for up to 26 days on average and 10% put off DIY tasks for more than three months. Many home owners believe that a lack of time is stopping them from getting everything done in their homes. In fact, three quarters worry that they are never going to get their homes to a point where they are completely happy with them because of a lack of time, money and know-how.

Regardless of these statistics, only 16% of people hire a professional for every time for a job that needs doing in their home. Decorating appears to be one of the most common jobs that people hire a professional for; more than a fifth call in a professional to put wallpaper up, while another 15% get decorators in instead of undertaking a paint-job themselves.

In its entirety, the construction industry acts as an umbrella, covering everything from builders, electricians and plumbers, to decorators, carpenters, engineers, surveyors and architects. It’s worth noting that 23% of home owners believe their home requires mainly major work to make it perfect, suggesting that a professional is needed — and figures agree, with 28% saying a professional is needed to do the work that they want to do. Maybe DIY has its limitations?

The latest reports on this issue appear to claim that it indeed has a few. Some studies have revealed that DIY is actually on the decline — good news for the construction industry. And this could be down to a change in attitudes throughout generations. Over 50s seem to have no problems with trying DIY work in the home to save money and achieve something themselves. However, only 1% of the younger generation, 25-35 year olds, would try and do the work themselves, meaning 99% of them would rather hire a professional.

James is an Outreach Executive at Mediaworks Online Marketing and covers a number of clients across a wide range of business sectors, helping them to grow their online portfolios through engaging content.