For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023 READ THE 2023 REPORT

Over the past couple of years, more and more people have reevaluated their jobs and careers. Quiet quitting has gathered momentum and ‘The Great Resignation’ has seen record numbers of people switch careers. In fact, Google searches for ‘careers switch’ have risen by 38% in the last two years and in 2023, one in three people in the UK now say they’d be interested in changing their career.  

This year’s edition of the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report reveals one in five people in the UK are interested in changing jobs to work as a tradesperson and we can understand why! There are lots of benefits and opportunities available in the industry including high earnings, low stress and a strong work-life balance.  

The construction industry is currently experiencing a severe skills shortage though which has been brought about by Brexit, a lack of young people getting into trade careers and also wider economic and political issues. So demand for new tradespeople, from carpenters and electricians to painters and plasterers, has never been higher.  

At Rated People, we’re passionate about helping more people work in the industry, so here we explore why lots of people are now waking up to the advantages of a career in construction and where the biggest opportunities are in 2023 if you’re looking to make a change. With 60% of trade businesses looking to hire and expand their workforce in 2023, it’s a great time to get into the industry. 

You can skip ahead to different sections here: 

The Professions People Want To Switch To This Year

The Opportunities Of A Trade Career 

• Biggest Benefits of Working As A Tradesperson
• How Much Money You Can Earn As A Tradesperson 
• The Trades That Will Be Most In Demand in 2023 

Why Now Is A Great Time To Start Working As A Tradesperson 

• The Industry Has A Skills Shortage
• The Trades Most Affected By Workforce Shortages
• Rise In Trade Training Enrolments  

The Professions People Want To Switch To This Year 

We spoke to thousands of people across the UK and discovered 32% are interested in switching careers this year. Looking at which professions they would be most keen to switch to, trade professions, from bathroom fitters and gardeners to roofers and heating engineers, were the most popular choice, beating banking, computing and education.  

Top 10 careers people want to switch to in 2023

Biggest Benefits of Working As A Tradesperson 

We also spoke to hundreds of tradespeople up and down the country and discovered that one in three had switched from another career to work in the trades. Almost two in three went on to say they now make more money working as a tradesperson than they did in their previous job.  

But it’s not just about the money. Nine in 10 of the tradespeople we interviewed said they love their trade career, feel happy at work and feel motivated by their job. Almost two in three also went on to say they don’t feel stressed at work either. The many benefits result in almost 90% of tradespeople saying they think more young people should consider a career in the trades, so we dug a little deeper to reveal the biggest benefits. 

Top five reasons why tradespeople love their job

How Much Money You Can Earn As A Tradesperson 

We spoke to sole traders about how much they earn and the results illustrate how lucrative the industry is.  

On average, sole traders are making £43,561 a year, which is a considerable amount more than the national annual average of £27,756 (almost £16,000 more).  

One in four of the sole traders we spoke to said they make more than £50,000 a year and 10% make over £75,000.  

If this sounds attractive to you, starting to train up as a tradesperson – whether that’s on the job, through an apprenticeship or with formal training, could be a great way to get a better work-life balance and earn more money.  

The Trades That Will Be Most In Demand in 2023 

If you’re interested in switching careers to work in a trade and would like to know where the biggest opportunities are in the industry, we analysed our internal data to see which trades have seen the biggest rise in demand over the past two years.  

Locksmiths top the table, with an 87% increase in demand since 2020. Kitchen specialists, roofers, plumbers and painters/decorators also feature in the top 10.  

Top 10 trades that saw the biggest rise in demand in 2022 compared to 2020

The trades industry has seen huge growth over the past few years as more people look to improve their homes. The vast majority of tradespeople say demand is still strong and seven in 10 say they are ‘very busy’ in 2023. These are the trades that are the busiest this year. 

Top 10 trades that are ‘very busy’ in 2023

The Industry Has A Skills Shortage  

Although there are amazing opportunities, the industry is currently experiencing workforce shortages across all trades. In 2022, 57% of UK trade businesses said they experienced workforce shortages and in 2023 this increases further to nearly two thirds (63%).  

One of the key reasons behind the skills gap is Brexit, with many trade workers having to leave the country. Fewer young people are also getting into the industry, which is contributing to a lack of skilled workers in trade professions. Shockingly, our research reveals 48% of UK adults say they weren’t offered a trade career as a job option in careers advice at school and we want this to change.  

While the industry is appealing to many people who want to switch careers, we’re also on a mission to promote the industry to more young people. Working in construction offers high earning potential, great work-life balance and also a way to avoid the student debt that so many people get landed with when they go to university. 

The Trades Most Affected By Workforce Shortages  

Looking at the trades that are affected by shortages, we can reveal the sectors that are crying out for new talent the most.  

More than nine in 10 plasterer/renderer businesses say they couldn’t find enough workers in 2022 and at least half of all businesses in bathroom fitting, painting/ decorating, gardening, building and handyperson roles also experienced workforce shortages in 2022.

Top 10 trades that experienced workforce shortages the most in 2022

Rise In Trade Training Enrolments  

The Government is currently pushing to get more young people onto ‘T Levels’ and Access Training saw a 40% increase in Trade Training Enrolments in 2022, which could suggest the tide is starting to turn. The four most popular courses are: electrical, gas, plumbing, and carpentry.  

When it comes to the trade apprenticeships that people are most interested in, we analysed Google data to see which ones were being Googled the most.  

Tallying with Access Training’s popular training courses, people in the UK are most interested in apprenticeships to become an electrician. Plumbing, carpentry, bricklaying and joinery are also hugely popular, pulling in between 30,000 and 93,000 searches on Google a year.  

Top 10 most popular trade apprenticeships

For more insights about home improvements and renovations, download the full 2023 report here. 

The post Starting Afresh: Why So Many People Want To Switch Careers To A Trade Profession appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023 READ THE 2023 REPORT

Following the home improvement boom of 2020-2022 where record numbers of homeowners improved their homes, the 2023 edition of our Home Improvement Trends Report shows increasing costs are forcing many homeowners to rein in budgets and plans for this year.   

Only 35% of UK homeowners say they will definitely be carrying out home improvement work to their homes in 2023 (down from 52% in 2022) and 71% of tradespeople think work will drop out this year because of the rising cost of living.  

Higher costs are having a huge impact on both homeowners and tradespeople and here we unpack what the effects of that could be – from the home improvement projects and essential home maintenance jobs that many people are having to put on hold to the ways tradespeople are attracting more business this year.  

You can skip ahead to different home improvement stats and insights here: 

The Rising Cost Of Home Improvements 

• How Much Prices For Home Improvements Will Increase This Year
• Which Trades Will Increase Prices The Most 

The Effect Of Rising Prices On Homeowners 

• How Homeowners Are Scaling Back Home Improvement Plans This Year
• The Essential Maintenance Jobs Homeowners Can’t Afford To Do This Year

How The Cost-Of-Living Crisis Is Impacting Tradespeople 

• The Rising Cost Of Materials
• The Trades That Will See The Biggest Drop In Demand in 2023
• How Tradespeople Are Attracting More Business In 2023

If you’re a homeowner and you’re keen to find more cost-effective ways to still improve your home this year, there are over 50,000 expert local tradespeople here on Rated People who can help – from builders and plumbers to kitchen specialists and handypeople.  

How Much Prices For Home Improvements Will Increase This Year 

Increasing operational costs and the rising cost of materials have increased substantially over the past two years, and this has meant tradespeople have needed to pass these costs on to keep up with inflation and stay in business. 

We spoke to hundreds of tradespeople across the UK to find out how much prices for home improvements and renovations are likely to rise. If you’re looking to have work done to your home this year, it’ll cost 17% more on average than in 2022.  

To help you understand which jobs have seen the biggest price rises, we worked with Price Builder to dive into how much prices for some of the most common home improvement jobs have risen. Loft conversions have seen the biggest increase – going up by 20% last year. Garden rooms saw an 11% hike in prices as did single storey extensions and slate and tiled roofing.  

Top 10 home improvements that have seen the biggest price rises over the past year

Which Trades Will Increase Prices The Most 

On average, 86% of all UK tradespeople are increasing their prices this year so it’s a good idea to get in there as early as possible with tradespeople to secure the best price. If you’re looking to hire a bathroom fitter, electrician, plumber, roofer or carpenter, it’ll be even more important as they’re the top five trades where price rises will be seen the most.  

More than 90% of UK bathroom fitters, electricians, plumbers and roofers will be hiking prices this year. The good news is that if you’re looking for a plasterer and renderer, they’re the trade where price rises won’t be seen quite as much, with only 79% looking to put up their prices. 

Top 12 Trades That Will Be Increasing Prices in 2023 (Ranked by % of each trade that said they would be increasing their prices in 2023)

How Homeowners Are Scaling Back Home Improvement Plans This Year 

For homeowners wanting to complete work on their homes in 2023, the rising cost of renovations is unsurprisingly having a negative impact on projects. Almost half (47%) say they’re worried they now won’t have enough money to complete the types of projects they want to do this year, and more than half (51%) will be scaling back plans and doing less home improvement work in 2023 because the cost of work has increased.  

So which projects are being put on hold this year? The main one is getting a new carpet, with one in five (19%) people who said they would be delaying work this year saying that’s the job they’re choosing not to do.  

16% are shelving painting and decorating plans and 14% say their new bathroom will have to wait. 

Top 10 home improvements that homeowners are putting off in 2023 because costs have increased

The Essential Maintenance Jobs Homeowners Can’t Afford To Do This Year 

Unfortunately, homeowners are also having to scale back budgets for essential home maintenance jobs like gas safety checks, electrical repairs and fixing mould and damp. In fact, 6 in 10 homeowners in the UK say they won’t be able to afford some home maintenance this year.  

Of the 36% of those who identified at least one essential home maintenance job that they won’t be able to do in 2023, one in five (21%) will be putting off fixing broken appliances. 20% say they’ll be unable to fix poorly insulated areas and just under one in five (19%) – which is the equivalent of around 1 million households! – won’t be able to repair or service their boiler, which could be fatal if a fault goes undiagnosed. 

Top 10 essential home maintenance jobs homeowners are putting off this year

The Rising Cost Of Materials  

So, what’s behind the price rises? Well, there’s a number of factors that have contributed to inflating the cost of materials and operational costs for tradespeople – from the war in Ukraine to Brexit.  

In 2022, 94% of UK tradespeople experienced rising costs, and in 2023, 92% of tradespeople say their costs are increasing further.  

We took a look at official Government price indices for building materials and compounds over the past two years to see which materials saw the biggest price fluctuations, and it’s steel and concrete that saw the biggest price rises. In 2022, the price of concrete reinforcing steel bars was 44% higher on average than in 2021.  

Fabricated structural steel saw a 34% increase and the cost of pre-cast concrete products was 26% higher in 2022 when compared to the year before.  

Top 10 construction materials that saw the biggest average year-on-year price rises

The Trades That Will See The Biggest Drop In Demand in 2023 

The big rise in demand in 2020, 2021 and 2022 was incredible for tradespeople. But now, with fewer homeowners able to have work done, 2023 is set to be a more challenging landscape for tradespeople to navigate. 

Almost three in four (71%) tradespeople expect they’ll have work drop out this year because of the rising cost of living and 77% think homeowner demand will reduce.   

As homeowners double down on value for money investments, gardeners and landscape gardeners, bathroom fitters and handypeople are the top three trades that expect to have work drop out in 2023.  

At the other end of the scale, only around half of plumbers (54%) expect to have work drop out because jobs will be more expensive for homeowners. Roofers and electricians also appear to be less affected. 

Top 12 trades that expect to have work drop out in 2023 because of rising prices

How Tradespeople Are Attracting More Business In 2023  

To counter the challenges that tradespeople are facing in 2023, almost one in three (29%) plan to invest in marketing and advertising to attract more business. They’re also looking to expand their businesses to offer more services, improve their website/ social channels, potentially reduce prices if they can, and expand into different locations. 

Top 10 ways tradespeople are attracting more business in 2023

For more insights about home improvements and renovations, download the full 2023 report here. 

The post The Home Improvement Squeeze: How The Rising Cost Of Living Is Affecting Home Improvements in 2023 appeared first on Rated People Blog.

At Rated People, we care about how home improvements are done, so we’re really happy to see that sustainability is becoming even more of a consideration among homeowners and tradespeople this year.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023 READ THE 2023 REPORT

The 2023 edition of our Home Improvement Trends Report shows almost half of UK homeowners want to make their homes more environmentally friendly in 2023, and more than three quarters of UK tradespeople will be making changes to their businesses to improve their green credentials. Eco home improvements are now being recognised as a way to save money on bills, as well as be kinder to the planet – a win-win.

If you’re a homeowner – read on for tips and advice on how to make your home or your renovation project more eco friendly, and if you’re interested in making your home more energy efficient, there’s over 50,000 expert local tradespeople here on Rated People who can help – from heating engineers to thermal insulation specialists and builders.

If you’re a tradesperson – keep reading to find out which trades are the most committed to sustainability, as well as how tradespeople are going greener this year and which eco home improvements are seeing the biggest increase in homeowner demand.

How To Update Your Home In A Sustainable Way and Save Money

More and more homeowners are choosing to ‘part update’ a room, instead of carrying out a full refurbishment. A great example of this is replacing kitchen cupboard doors (or simply painting your existing doors) instead of ripping out the entire kitchen and installing a brand new one. Not only does this considerably reduce the cost, it’s also a brilliant way to reduce waste.

Part update projects can make it look like you’ve completely redesigned and updated the space, but for a fraction of the cost of a full refurbishment. In fact, homeowners can expect to save an average of £6,070 this year by opting for ‘part update’ projects, which means this style of renovation is great for your pocket as well as the planet.  

Keen to try it? Here are 15 ways to redesign your home without doing a full refurbishment.

1. Just upgrade bathroom hardware, for example installing black taps, a black shower and a black radiator, instead of a complete bathroom refurbishment

2. Paint kitchen cupboard doors and trim instead of complete kitchen refurbishment 

3. Paint wooden windows/ doors instead of replacing them

4. Replace kitchen cupboard doors to get a completely new look instead of complete kitchen refurbishment

5. Retile the bathroom instead of complete bathroom refurbishment

6. Paint the staircase instead of installing a new one

7. Replace kitchen worktops instead of complete kitchen refurbishment

8. Replace the bathroom suite instead of complete refurbishment

9. Retile the kitchen instead of a complete refurbishment

10. Paint uPVC windows/ doors instead of getting new windows

11. Paint bathroom tiles instead of replacing them

12. Fit new doors to storage cupboards or fitted wardrobe doors, instead of getting new storage

13. Paint kitchen tiles instead of replacing them

14. Sand floorboards instead of fitting a brand-new floor

15. Cover or wrap the existing kitchen worktop instead of getting a new one

How To Renovate More Sustainably

If you’ve bought somewhere that hasn’t been touched since the 70s, and there’s no choice but to rip everything out and start again, there are still tonnes of ways you can reduce waste and renovate in a more sustainable way.

In 2022, one in three homeowners who did home improvements found environmentally friendly ways to improve and adapt their homes. In 2023, this increases considerably, to almost half of homeowners actively finding ways to reduce the impact of their renovation projects on the planet.

If you’re embarking on an exciting renovation, here are eight ways to reduce waste and increase the sustainability of your project – many of which can also help to reduce cost too.

1. Recycle waste instead of taking everything to the tip

2. Sell or donate old fittings, materials and appliances to reduce waste

3. Source second-hand materials, appliances and fittings

4. Reuse any existing materials you can, for example bricks

5. Buy more quality and timeless fixtures and fittings so they’ll last longer and won’t need to be replaced as often

6. Use eco-friendly materials, for example eco paint

7. Use natural and renewable materials, for example bamboo

8. Rent tools rather than buying them

How To Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency

With the cost of energy still higher than ever, more homeowners are installing eco home improvements, like solar panels and insulation, to reduce the cost of their energy bills.

We spoke to homeowners across the UK who are planning eco adaptations for their home this year, and ‘saving money on bills’ was the top reason behind their decision – a huge 50% of homeowners said this was their main motivator for installing eco home improvements.

If you’re keen to improve your home’s energy efficiency, here are the nine most popular energy-saving adaptations that homeowners are planning to install this year to save money on their bills.

1. Draught proofing

2. Solar panels

3. Loft/roof insulation

4. Triple glazing

5. Double glazing

6. Floor insulation

7. Boiler upgrade

8. Wall insulation

9. Wind turbine 

If you’re looking to install solar panels, take a look at our solar panel guide to find out where you can have them installed, how much they cost and how much money they can save you, as well as what grants are currently available to help reduce the cost of installation.

If it’s insulation you’re after, our guide to loft insulation reveals how much it’ll cost, which type of insulation is best and how long it will take to insulate your loft. For more information on how much cavity wall insulation costs as well as tips on how you can get it for free, head over to our cavity wall insulation guide.  

The Most Eco-Focused Trades

We spoke to hundreds of tradespeople across the UK and asked them about their plans for 2023 – more than three quarters said they will be making changes to their business and ways of working to be more environmentally friendly this year.

When it comes to the trades that are the most committed to sustainability, here are the top 12, so if you’re in here, we salute you!

Electricians are leading the charge, with 86% planning eco changes this year. Handypeople are second with 78% making eco upgrades to their businesses. Bathroom fitters (75%) take third, gardeners (71%) are in fourth place and builders (64%) take fifth position. 

The top trades that will make their businesses more environmentally friendly in 2023

How To Make Your Trades Business More Sustainable This Year

Well over half of UK tradespeople say they’re making eco changes to their businesses because they care about the planet. But interestingly, one in three UK homeowners also say they’d be more likely to choose a tradesperson if they were environmentally friendly, so promoting your sustainability credentials is also a great way to attract more business.

Here are eight ways to go greener this year.

1. Take more local jobs to reduce travel time (fuel)

2. Give more quotes remotely to cut down on driving time (fuel)

3. Improve recycling

4. Reduce waste

5. Use environmentally friendly materials/ products

6. Use British parts where possible/support other local businesses

7. Use second hand parts where possible

8. Get an electric vehicle

The Rise In Homeowner Demand For Eco Home Improvements

This year, almost twice as many homeowners want to have ‘eco home improvements’ installed than in 2022 and this increase in demand provides a valuable opportunity for tradespeople in the UK.

To understand which eco jobs are increasing in popularity the most, we analysed the volume of home improvement jobs posted through the Rated People platform by UK homeowners, and these are the top 10 eco adaptations that are seeing the biggest increase in demand.

At-home electric car charging points have seen the steepest rise, with demand going up by a staggering 2406% in the last two years. In second place are biomass boilers with an increase of 225%. Energy producing solar panels are in third position, with demand rising by 222%. Demand for thermal insulation has gone up by 143% and triple glazing has increased by 125%.

Top eco improvements that have increased in demand

The Biggest Opportunities in Sustainability For UK Tradespeople

As part of our research, we spoke to homeowners up and down the country who will be having eco improvements installed this year to discover which ones they are planning to have. For tradespeople looking to diversify their skills to capitalise on this increasing focus on sustainability, these are the top 20 most in-demand eco adaptations for 2023.

Four of the top five eco home improvements that homeowners want to install in 2023 are related to reducing energy usage – the top eco improvement planned is a smart meter. In second place is draught proofing, and in third position is installing extra insulation. Elsewhere in the top 20 eco home improvements for 2023 are: solar panels, electric car charging points, heat pumps and underfloor heating.

Top 20 eco home improvements homeowners are planning to install in 2023

1. Smart meter
2. Draught proofing
3. Extra insulation
4. Compost pile
5. Upgrade old appliances to more energy efficient ones
6. Double glazing
7. Paint with low VOC paint
8. Smart lighting
9. Smart thermostat
10. Low flow toilet
11. Solar panels
12. Biodiverse garden
13. Triple glazing
14. Electric car charging point
15. Underfloor heating
16. Heat pump
17. Wind turbine
18. Green roof
19. Solar water heating
20. Biomass boiler

For more insights about home improvements, renovations and opportunities for tradespeople, download the full 2023 report here.

The post Sustainable Renovations: This Year’s Biggest Eco Trends In Home Improvement and Interior Design appeared first on Rated People Blog.

With life seemingly back to ‘normal’ after the pandemic, the way we use our homes has changed once again. In 2023, our Home Improvement Trends Report shows we’re now more focused on optimising the design of our homes and repurposing space, rather than just maximising square footage.  

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023 READ THE 2023 REPORT

So, if you’re a homeowner and you’re looking for some design inspiration, read on to discover this year’s biggest home improvement trends –  from the 23 biggest interior design trends that are IN and OUT to the home improvements that now attract the most buyers.  

If you’re a tradesperson, head down to learn about where the biggest opportunities are for your trades business this year – from the jobs that homeowners want to spend the most money on to those that have seen the biggest increase in demand.   

Homeowner Trends

If you’re interested in renovating or redesigning your home, and would like to speak to expert local tradespeople – from kitchen fitters, and builders, to electricians and plumbers, there’s over 50,000 professional tradespeople on Rated People across the whole of the UK who can help with your home improvement projects.   

Top 23 Interior Design Trends That Are IN (and 23 That Are OUT) for 2023 

The Home Improvements That Now Attract The Most Buyers 

The Most Popular Paint Colours for 2023 

Tradespeople Trends

If you’re a tradesperson, these sections reveal insights on homeowner demand and how to capitalise on changing homeowner trends.  

The Home Improvement Jobs That Homeowners Want To Spend The Most Money On in 2023 

The Home Improvement Jobs With The Biggest Increases In Demand

The Most In-Demand Home Improvement Jobs for 2023

Top 23 Interior Design Trends That Are IN (and 23 That Are OUT) for 2023 

To uncover 2023’s biggest trends, we analysed Google search volume data over the last year for hundreds of design features – from paint colours to kitchen cabinets, and compared it to 2022 to see which are going up, and which are now on their way out.  

Top 23 Interior Design Trends That Are IN for 2023 

This year, green, from sage green to forest green, will be everywhere. Other earthy hues like terracotta, beige and taupe will also be key colours for interiors, and we’ll see natural materials dominating home design as ‘Natural materials interior’ is the trend that’s increasing in popularity the most in 2023. Searches on Google have risen by a huge 450%!  

Creative paint techniques will also be popular this year, with colour drenching (where you paint everything in a room the same colour as the walls – skirting boards, picture rails, doors, radiators and window frames) and painted arches both hugely increasing in popularity.  

To find out more about colour drenching and for tips on how to do it, head over to our guide on how to do colour drenching.

When it comes to kitchens – lavender, neutral, blue, forest green and beige will be key colours for cabinets. Elsewhere in the ranking are design features like mushroom wallpaper, curved walls, mindful interior design, marble interiors and brilliant examples of space repurposing, like boot rooms and home massage rooms.  

The 23 interior design and home improvement trends increasing in popularity the most in 2023 

Top 23 Interior Design Trends That Are OUT for 2023 

Our research also reveals which trends are now on their way out – so if you’ve got some of these, and you’re thinking of redesigning your space, they could be some of the first things to consider changing. 

Hanging chairs have seen the biggest decrease in popularity, with 52% less searches made on Google in the last 12 months compared to the year before. Grey décor and grey kitchens have also had their heyday. 

After years of dominance, open plan is now making way for broken plan as more of us start to value separate spaces. Dried flowers, Berber rugs, rattan furniture, velvet sofas and Macramé (a creative form of knotting used to create things like wall hangings) also feature in the trends that are decreasing in popularity.  

The 23 interior design and home improvement trends decreasing in popularity the most in 2023 

The Home Improvements That Now Attract The Most Buyers 

There’s so much advice out there about how to increase the value of your home if you’re looking to sell, from tips on decluttering to dressing your home for sale. But, what are the actual home improvements that would make people more likely to put in an offer? 

The pandemic influenced what buyers were looking for, but now that’s ‘mostly’ behind us, homebuyer priorities are also shifting. With energy prices higher than ever, it’s perhaps no surprise that solar panels and extra insulation are among the most coveted add-ons that buyers would appreciate.  

The number one improvement that would attract the most buyers in 2023 however is now a downstairs toilet, so if you have space, and you’ve been thinking about it, now could be a great time to get one installed.  

Utility rooms, walk-in wardrobes, outdoor entertaining areas, broken plan spaces and kitchen pantries also appear in the top 20. So, with the property market now cooler than it has been over the past two years, these are the things you could consider adding to your home if you want to attract more buyers.  

To find out how to install beautiful walk-in wardrobes, take a look at our guide on how to create the perfect walk-in wardrobe. 

Top 20 Most Attractive Home Improvements For Homebuyers 

The Most Popular Paint Colours for 2023 

We teamed up with COAT to reveal which paint colours will be the most popular this year. By analysing sales data across their colour range, we can reveal that among the top 15 colours to see the biggest increase in demand, are shades of green, beige and taupe – proving beige is anything but bland. 

Darlington (a deep green with yellow and grey undertones) is the paint colour that’s had the biggest rise in demand – shooting up by more than 1000% in the run up to 2023. Other greens in the ranking are Nomad (a dark olive green) and Detox (a cool blue green).  

Well Grounded (a biscuit beige) has seen popularity increase by almost 200%. Duvet Day (a modern beige) and Kind Regards (a light green greige) also make the top 15. Elsewhere, colours like Mindful (an off white taupe) and Good Intentions (a pale taupe) reflect that increasing popularity of neutral tones and natural materials.  

So, if you’re looking to revamp some of your rooms and redecorate this year – either as DIY, or with the help of a trusted tradesperson, these are the top 15 colours to consider. 

The top 15 paint colours increasing in demand the most for 2023 

The Home Improvement Jobs That Homeowners Want To Spend The Most Money On in 2023 

To understand the home improvement jobs that homeowners want to prioritise in 2023, we looked into the jobs that they’re budgeting the most for this year. After a big rush to increase space in our homes to allow for home working, home schooling, and socialising at home, repurposing space will now be a big trend and a key area of opportunity for tradespeople in 2023. 

As you’d expect, the usual staples like new kitchens and bathrooms make the list. But interestingly, homeowners are now also keen to create things like saunas, dog shower rooms, home massage rooms, walk-in wardrobes, playrooms and games rooms. In fact, homeowners are looking to spend more on installing dog showers this year than things like a new kitchen, creating a downstairs toilet and installing patio doors!   

If you’re a homeowner and you’d like some dog shower inspiration, see our guide on what you need to know to install a dog shower.

For tradespeople who are thinking of expanding their skillset or advertising different jobs in their portfolio this year, these are the things that are high on homeowners’ wish lists this year.  

Top 20 home improvement jobs that homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2023 

The Home Improvement Jobs With The Biggest Increases In Demand  

To discover which jobs are increasing in popularity, and therefore provide great opportunities for tradespeople, we analysed the volume of different jobs posted by UK homeowners through Rated People in 2022 compared to 2021. 

UK homeowners appear to be becoming more safety and security conscious, as seven of the top 20 jobs that experienced the biggest rise in demand are related to safety, security and accessibility. Cladding, electrical inspection condition reports, smoke alarm installation, disabled access and mobility service, fire alarm installation, carbon monoxide alarms installation, and security fencing have all seen demand spike ahead of 2023.   

The undeniable need to live more sustainably is also influencing the home improvement jobs that saw demand increase the most. Electric car charging point installation rose by 169% and solar panels saw demand increase by 64% as more homeowners want to find ways to reduce their energy bills.  

Top 20 home improvements that saw demand increase the most in 2022 

The Most In-Demand Home Improvement Jobs for 2023 

This year, it’s especially good news for painters, carpet fitters, gardeners, bathroom fitters and plasterers, because those trades feature in the top five jobs planned by the most UK homeowners in 2023.  

Building storage will also be an area of opportunity this year – the research shows it’s just as much of a priority as a new kitchen for homeowners in 2023. Tiling, new driveways, loft conversions and new windows will also see big demand from homeowners this year.    

Top 20 most popular home improvement jobs planned for 2023 

For more insights about home improvements, renovations and opportunities for tradespeople, download the full 2023 report here. 

The post 2023’s Biggest Home Improvement Trends For Homeowners and Tradespeople appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023 READ THE 2023 REPORT

Welcome to this year’s report – the fourth annual edition, and we hope this is the biggest and best one yet.

This year’s edition of the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report leverages our proprietary data and nationwide research and it’s full of insights for homeowners, homebuyers and tradespeople.  

With tips on how to renovate more cost effectively and sustainably, and insights into where the biggest opportunities are for tradespeople, the 2023 report will be a valuable tool for anyone who wants to get the most out of their home improvement jobs this year.  

To create this year’s report, we analysed more than 1 million home improvement jobs posted through Rated People. We also spoke to thousands of tradespeople, homeowners and homebuyers across the UK – and these are the top five biggest home improvement trends for 2023. 

2023’s Biggest Home Improvement Trends

Trend #1 – The ‘Race For Space’ Is Over  

This year, alongside the usual staples like painting and decorating, new kitchens and bathrooms, homeowners want to create better storage, walk-in wardrobes, saunas, home bars, games rooms and playrooms. The pandemic meant people needed to adapt their homes for new ways of living – from working at home to home-schooling – but this year, it’ll all be about injecting fun back into the home.     

Key interior design trends for 2023 will be earthy colour palettes, curved lines, biophilic design and natural materials. Green, beige and taupe will be key colour trends and broken plan has now firmly taken over open plan.  

Trend #2 – The Home Improvement Squeeze 

Compared to 2020, demand for home improvement and tradespeople in 2022 was still up by 23%. But, with the increasing cost of energy and the rising cost of living, demand reduced by 15% in 2022 compared to 2021.  

This year, as people across the UK are understandably looking to rein in spending, fewer homeowners are planning home improvements – 35% say they will definitely be improving their homes, which is down from 52% in 2022, and 26% say they’re unsure.  

The cost of materials and operational costs for tradespeople have risen considerably over the past two years and this will continue to push up prices for home improvement jobs in 2023. Nine in 10 tradespeople expect their costs to increase further this year, and as a result 86% of tradespeople will need to increase their prices for homeowners by an average of 17%.  

Because of this, almost half of UK homeowners (who are planning work), are worried they won’t have enough money to complete the projects they wanted to do in 2023 and almost three in four UK tradespeople expect to have work drop out because of the rising cost of living. 

The cost-of-living crisis is also impacting essential and emergency home maintenance jobs. Close to two in three UK homeowners will put off essential home maintenance jobs this year. Of the 36% of homeowners who identified at least one essential home maintenance job that they won’t be able to do in 2023, one in five, which is the equivalent of around 1 million households, won’t be able to repair or service their boiler, which could be fatal if a fault goes unchecked. And shockingly, one in 11 homeowners say they would have to go without food if they experienced a home maintenance emergency that couldn’t be put off. 

Trend #3 – Homeowners Are Renovating To Beat The Property Market  

With high property prices and interest rates, many people are now choosing to either renovate their existing home, or buy a property in need of work to create the home of their dreams for less money. Close to half of homeowners (who will be doing home improvement work this year) say they’ll be taking on a full renovation project and a further 23% say they’re considering it.   

Almost two in three tradespeople expect to work on renovation projects in 2023, and well over half think demand for renovations will increase this year. The cost of home improvement work is impacting the types of jobs that will be most in demand. In 2021, it would have cost around £24,000 on average to complete a renovation of a three-bed semi in the UK. In 2023, the same work will cost just over £34,500, which means renovations have increased by more than £10,000 for homeowners, or 46%, in just two years.  

Trend #4 – Homeowners Turn To Eco Home Improvements To Save Money On Energy Bills 

With rising energy prices, almost three in four UK homeowners say they’ll be using their heating less in 2023, and demand for eco home improvements is at a record high as more homeowners try to cut the cost of their energy bills. Demand for solar panels has increased by 222% in just two years, and thermal insulation has increased by 143%. 

Nine in 10 UK homeowners want to adapt their homes to make them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly in 2023 and half of UK homeowners say saving money on their bills is their biggest motivator for installing eco home improvements. 

Eight in 10 tradespeople are also planning to be more eco-friendly in 2023 and it’s electricians, handypeople and bathroom fitters that are leading the charge, with at least 75% of the tradespeople in those trades looking for ways to work more sustainably this year.  

More homeowners are also looking for sustainable ways to renovate and adapt their homes to minimise their impact on the planet and save money in the process. ‘Part updates’, like replacing kitchen doors instead of ripping the whole kitchen out are becoming increasingly popular, and 70% of tradespeople think demand for part updates will increase in 2023.  

Trend #5 – A Trade Profession Is Now The Top Choice For People Looking To Switch Careers  

Searches on Google for ‘career switch’ have increased by 38% in the last two years, and more and more people are now starting to see the lucrative opportunities available in the trades industry. One in four people in the UK would now be interested in working as a tradesperson, and more people who want to switch careers in 2023 are looking to work as a tradesperson over any other line of work.  

With workforce shortages being felt across the industry, the opportunities within the trades are vast. One in three tradespeople currently working say they switched careers to work in their trade, and close to two in three say they now make more money as a tradesperson than they did in their previous career.  

Almost nine in 10 tradespeople think more young people should also consider a trade career – but just under half of UK adults say they weren’t offered a trade career in their career advice when they were in school. Positively though, it appears things could be starting to change for the younger generation as there was a 40% rise in trade training and enrolments in 2022. 

The post This Year’s Biggest Trends in Home Improvement, Renovation and Interior Design appeared first on Rated People Blog.

If the time has come and you’re ready to sell your property, then make sure you don’t put buyers off without even realising it, as it’s easily done! Over time you will have got used to your home’s condition and its little quirks – the bold wallpaper, the weeds in the driveway paving – but potential buyers seeing your home for the first time may be put off making an offer. We’ve put together 5 simple things which can bring down the value of a house and create a bad first impression, so you can get your house in order before those all-important viewings begin.

5 things that lower the value of your house

1. Lack of kerb appeal

First impressions really do matter, and the front of your home is the first thing potential buyers will see (both those who’ve booked a viewing, and also those that might drive by your house to get a look before they decide if they want to view). Make sure any front garden space is spruced up, and if you have a driveway, make sure it is weed-free; driveways are huge assets to properties but they can be just as big a turn off if they are not well maintained. Consider adding some potted flowers or hanging baskets to the front of your house, and hide those ugly rubbish bins well out of sight.

2. Bad relationships with neighbours

Did you know that you are legally obliged to declare when selling your property whether you’ve ever made a complaint about your neighbours or had a formal dispute with them? Home buyers are incredibly put off by bad neighbours and although there isn’t much you can do to change them, it’s worth staying on good terms with them as it could pay dividends when you come to sell. If it comes to it, you could always offer to mow their untidy lawn for them just ahead of your viewings….!

3. Poorly thought through niche improvements

If you love bold interiors and have decorated your home with statement walls and brightly coloured fixtures then it might be time to consider a more neutral palette. Focus on a popular space with home buyers, the kitchen, and consider a light touch renovation; a contemporary new sink, a fresh countertop and cabinets painted a neutral colour will have a positive impact on viewers’ impressions of the heart of your home. Another space to consider refreshing ahead of putting your house on the market is the bathroom and, if you’re looking for a quick fix to neutralise patterned or bright design, restyle the room by painting over the tiles.

4. Letting Japanese knotweed into your garden

A big no-no with potential house buyers is a garden that requires a lot of upkeep so Japanese knotweed is a damaging plant you need to know about. It grows rapidly, kills off other plant life and is considered such a problem that it’s something else you have to declare when selling your house. Luckily, there are professionals who can identify and remove Japanese knotweed in the unlikely event that it is growing in your garden, but it’s good to be vigilant.

Looking for a garden specialist? Find trusted, professional tradespeople by posting your job on Rated People. 

5. Having the wrong house name or number

You might not believe it but house buyers can be put off by a property considered to have the unlucky number 13! It’s possible to change your address from a number to a house name through Royal Mail. If the road you live on has an unsavoury name this can also be damaging to your chances of selling, but you can get together with your neighbours and apply to the local authorities to have it changed. 

If you’re interested in which home improvements are popular with buyers right now then Rated People’s Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 gives you all the information you need to refresh your home and increase its value.

The post Simple things that lower the value of your house appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

Welcome to this year’s report – the third annual edition, and we hope this is the biggest and best one yet.

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

In this year’s report, we look at how we redesigned our homes in 2021, and what effect materials shortages, workforce issues from Covid and Brexit, and unprecedented demand had on tradespeople as well as homeowners.

The 2022 report also explores important topics like diversity in the industry, and asks ‘why aren’t there more tradeswomen in the UK?’

Eco is a big focus too – from the most in-demand eco home improvements to the ones that increase the value of your home the most.

We also pinpoint the places, trades and jobs that will have the most consumer demand in 2022, and reveal the most lucrative ways to increase your home’s value – from tried and tested staples like extensions, to trending hacks and improvements on TikTok and Instagram.

How we develop our insights

To create this year’s report, we analysed 867,000 home improvement jobs posted by homeowners on Rated People. We also spoke to more than 2,000 homeowners across the UK, and drew on the expertise and insights of 626 Rated People tradespeople.

To top it all off, we analysed official government data, and worked with Rightmove to access sales insights. We delved into Google search volume to uncover a host of insights about homeowner demand, plus took to TikTok and Instagram to discover the biggest décor trends for 2022.

We really hope you like this year’s report. If it’s inspired you to make some home improvements, find a tradesperson now.

The post Introduction to the Trends Report 2022 appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

Whether you’re looking to sell, or you’re just keen to update your home, we’ve discovered this year’s biggest home improvement trends and how much value they can add to your home. 

We analysed 800,000 home improvement jobs posted on Rated People – from new kitchens to loft conversions and painting, and dived into TikTok, Instagram and Google data to uncover 2022’s top trends.

We then spoke to thousands of potential homebuyers about which adaptations and design features they’re looking for the most from their next home and how much extra they’d be willing to pay for each one.  

Our research shows if you implemented all 20 of this year’s biggest home improvement trends on TikTok and Instagram, you could increase the value of your home by £105,000!

Read on for:

• 2022’s biggest home improvement trends
• How much value each of the top 20 trends can add
• The home improvements that add the most value

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

2022’s biggest home improvement trends 

Whilst not every interior design trend is everyone’s cup of tea (we’re looking at you foam mirrors!), TikTok and Instagram are great places to find inspiration.

We looked at hundreds of home improvement trends and created a popularity score for each one by combining the total views on TikTok, with the number of hashtags on Instagram, and the annual UK search volume on Google. We then ranked the trends to reveal the top 20 for 2022.

Natural materials, neutral colour palettes and vintage charm are key trends, with living walls, pampas grass décor, flagstone floors and Cottagecore all featuring in the top 20 biggest trends for 2022. But bold is still popular, with dark kitchens, pink bathrooms, maximalism, and colour blocking also making the top 20 list.

This year’s most popular home improvement trend is Herringbone floors – videos that showcase the flooring have been watched a staggering 72.3 million times on TikTok! There are almost 100,000 Instagram posts about the trend and people have googled ‘herringbone floor’ 40,000 times in the UK over the last year.  

Alfresco dining is also a big trend on TikTok, with videos of outdoor kitchens clocking up an impressive 56 million views. The trend also boasts around 450,000 Instagram posts with people sharing their outside dining set ups.

When it comes to kitchens inside the home, green kitchens and dark kitchens are some of the trends taking TikTok by storm. Views for green kitchens have topped 38 million on TikTok and they’ve received almost 10,000 annual searches on Google.

Whilst there are many shades of green to choose from, dark kitchens are also still proving popular. Dark shades can be a punchy design feature, giving you a more interesting focal point within the home, and they’re perfect for making lighter worktops really stand out.  

Both Grandmillennial décor and Cottagecore décor also feature in the list. Grandmillennial style sees the likes of Laura Ashley prints, embroidered linens and quirky ruffles making a comeback, and it’s had over 3.8 million views on TikTok alone. Cottagecore decor, a rustic romantic trend, has had over 2.8 million Instagram posts and almost a million TikTok views.

2022’s top 20 home improvement trends:

How much value the top 20 trends can add to your home

Six in 10 homeowners are planning to recreate at least one of the top 20 trends this year, and if you do all 20, you could increase your home’s value by £105,046!

With so many of us now working from home, the study shows a dedicated home office space can add almost £6,500 to your home’s value.

In second and third place it’s all about the kitchen – a kitchen pantry will add almost £6,000 of value to your selling price and an outdoor kitchen could increase your home’s value by around £5,700.

The rest of the top 10 trends that will increase the value of your home the most are related to neutral palettes and natural materials. Vintage furniture, neutral décor and flagstone flooring can all bump up your sale’s figure by over £5,500. And herringbone flooring, Cottagecore décor and Grandmillennial décor can increase your home’s value by around £5,400.

How much value 2022’s most popular home improvement trends can add to your home:

The home improvements that add the most value to your property in 2022

Alongside this year’s biggest trends, our research also looked into the home improvements that are now the most attractive to buyers in general. Buyers now want their new home to suit new ways of living, and it looks like having more space, multi-functional rooms, and areas for working out and entertaining are now more desirable.

Topping the list is a self-contained annex, adding an impressive £17,003 to the value of a property, as buyers look for those extra pockets of space around the home. You could also achieve this by converting existing rooms or a garage, or by building an extension or garden room.

Another space-adding improvement is a new orangery or conservatory – this was the fourth most wanted feature in the list, adding over £13,500 to the value of a property.

Having a home gym can add almost £12,000 onto your home’s value. An outdoor entertaining area can increase the value of your home by £11,750 and an outdoor kitchen adds on around £11,500.

If this has inspired you and you’d like to make some changes to your home, you can find trusted local tradespeople right here on Rated People – from bathroom fitters and electricians, to builders and plasters and renderers.

The top 20 value adding home improvements: 

1. Self-contained annex – £17,003 
2. New roof – £15,407 
3. Newly renovated kitchen – £13,877 
4. New orangery/ conservatory – £13,611 
5. New windows throughout – £12,784 
6. Separate kitchen/diner and lounge – £12,379 
7. Large open plan space – £12,103 
8. Home gym – £11,927 
9. Newly renovated bathroom – £11,906 
10. En-suite bathroom – £11,817 
11. Outdoor entertaining area – £11,757 
12. Landscaped garden – £11,741 
13. Home office room, in the house – £11,706 
14. New driveway – £11,706 
15. Garden office room – £11,648 
16. Outdoor kitchen – £11,549 
17. New porch – £11,015 
18. Downstairs toilet – £11,000 
19. New wooden flooring throughout – £10,896 
20. New stone/tiled flooring – £10,876 

For more of this year’s home improvement trends, check out the full 2022 Home Improvement Trends Report.

The post How to boost your home’s value by £100K appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

So many of us have wanted to redesign, adapt and remodel our homes over the past two years to cater for new ways of living – so what are the biggest home improvement trends of 2022?

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

We analysed more than 800,000 jobs on our site posted by UK homeowners to create the 2022 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report and spoke to thousands of homeowners across the UK to find out this year’s biggest trends.
 

Key trends

The pandemic is still influencing how we want to redesign and renovate our homes – but interestingly, that doesn’t just mean creating lovely home offices. This year is the year of more space, better functionality, and home bars!

However you’d like to improve your home this year – you can find all the local tradespeople you need right here on Rated People – from bathroom fitters, plasterers, and painters and decorators, to carpenters and joiners, and kitchen specialists.

Top home improvement trends for 2022

If we look at how homeowners want to spend their home improvement budget this year, four of the top five adaptations are around space optimisation. Extensions take the top spot, with an average planned spend of just under £19,000.

Fifth on the priority list is dividing up open plan designs – homeowners want to create multiple usable spaces within the home, and building walls to break up open plan zones is one of 2022’s top five improvements that they want to spend the most money on.  

After the stress and challenges of the last two years, one in 13 homeowners (7%) will be building a home bar in 2022, setting aside around £14,000 to do so. This is more money than homeowners are willing to spend on creating home gyms, a new kitchen, or a new porch.

The top 15 home improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022:

1. Building an extension – £18,580 (average planned spend for this job)
2. Building an annex – £16,731
3. Adding an en-suite bathroom – £15,885
4. New conservatory/orangery – £15,564
5. Building a wall to create separate rooms – £13,977
6. Creating a home bar – £13,939
7. Creating a home gym – £13,574
8. New kitchen – £12,057
9. New porch – £11,252
10. Adapting a room to make it multifunctional – £10,772
11. Adding an outdoor entertaining area – £10,483
12. New windows throughout – £9,547
13. Tiling – £7,728
14. Garden landscaping – £6,622
15. Painting – £4,743

Most popular home improvement jobs for 2022

When it comes to the jobs we most want to do this year, more than one in three (38%) homeowners want to revitalise their homes with a lick of paint.

In the top 15 jobs that homeowners want to do the most in 2022, there’s 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:

1. Painting – 38% (of UK homeowners want to do this this year)
2. New carpet – 21%
3. Garden landscaping – 19%
4. New bathroom – 14%
5. New wooden flooring – 12%
6. New kitchen – 11%
7. Tiling – 11%
8. New windows – 11%
9. Creating multifunctional spaces – 11%
10. Building an outdoor entertaining area – 9%
11. New roof – 8%
12. Creating a home bar – 7%
13. Adding an extension – 7%
14. Loft conversion – 7%
15. Adding a garden room – 7%

To see the full research, visit the 2022 Home Improvement Trends Report.

The post 2022’s biggest home improvement trends appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

The pandemic has been challenging for many reasons. But it’s also helped to stimulate a home improvement boom, with more homeowners than ever wanting to adapt and improve their homes.
 

We can reveal which trades have experienced the biggest increases in demand, which towns and cities in the UK have seen demand increase the most and how different tradespeople are planning to adapt their businesses to pull in more work during this home improvement boom.

We analysed more than 800,000 jobs on our site posted by UK homeowners to create the 2022 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report and our research shows demand for home improvement went up by an incredible 32% last year (2021). If we look back to the start of the pandemic, about two years ago, demand has increased by an impressive 50%.

So, where are the biggest opportunities for tradespeople in 2022, and which are the best ways to capitalise on this boom in demand, whilst also future proofing your businesse for years to come?

The trades that are having the biggest spikes in demand

When looking at the top 10 trades that have seen demand increase the most over the past 12 months, demand for driveway pavers shot up by 73% – which is the biggest jump of any trade.

When compared to the year before, painters and decorators had 61% more enquiries from homeowners in 2021 and demand for traditional craftspeople increased by 53% last year.

In the top 10 list – demand increased by around 40% for every trade last year, and bathroom fitters, builders, stoneworkers, plasterers, kitchen specialists, roofers and cleaners also feature in the top 10.

 Top 10 trades with the biggest increase in demand in 2021:

1. Driveway pavers +73%
2. Painters and decorators +61%
3. Traditional craftspeople +53%
4. Bathroom fitters +50%
5. Builders +46%
6. Stoneworkers +46%
7. Plasterers +42%
8. Kitchen specialists +41%
9. Roofers +40%
10. Cleaners +39%

The places around the UK where demand is increasing the most

If we look into the places around the UK where demand for home improvement rose the most, Llandrindod Wells in Wales saw demand increase by 131% in 2021, which is the biggest rise in the whole of the UK.

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. 

Second place Dumfries and Galloway saw demand go up by 86%, fourth place Exeter experienced a 71% increase in demand, and fifth place Harrogate saw demand rise by 68%.

Many coastal areas feature in the top 10 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.

So, when it comes to opportunity hotspots for 2022 – it’s the smaller towns and cities where demand is increasing the most at the moment.

The top 10 areas where demand for tradespeople increased the most in 2021:

1. Llandrindod Wells +131%
2. Dumfries and Galloway +86%
3. Llandudno +76%
4. Exeter +71%
5. Harrogate +68%
6. Truro +66%
7. Swansea +66%
8. Torquay +60%
9. Brighton 58%
10. Carlisle +58%

These are the home improvement jobs homeowners want to do the most in 2022

Overall demand for home improvement has increased by a huge 50% in just two years, so we asked homeowners across the UK which jobs they want to have done this year.

Painting is the top job – 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 include staple choices 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.

One in seven homeowners in the UK say they want to have a new bathroom fitted this year, and one in 10 say they want a new kitchen.

One in 10 also say they want to adapt their homes to create multifunctional spaces, and one in 14 want to have a home bar built this year. Cheers to that!

The home improvement jobs UK homeowners want to do the most in 2022:

1. Painting – 38% (of UK homeowners want to do this this year)
2. New carpet – 21%
3. Garden landscaping – 19%
4. New bathroom – 14%
5. New wooden flooring – 12%
6. New kitchen – 11%
7. Tiling – 11%
8. New windows – 11%
9. Creating multifunctional spaces – 11%
10. Building an outdoor entertaining area – 9%
11. New roof – 8%
12. Creating a home bar – 7%
13. Adding an extension – 7%
14. Loft conversion – 7%
15. Adding a garden room – 7%

These are the jobs homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022

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 fact, four of the top five improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on are all around space optimisation.

The top priority when it comes to the amount of money homeowners want to spend, are extensions, with average predicted spend coming in at just under £20,000. A self-contained annex takes second place, with many homeowners craving extra space for new ways of living, and in third, it’s adding an en-suite bathroom.

The home improvements homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022:

1. Building an extension – £18,580 (average planned spend for this job)
2. Building an annex – £16,731
3. Adding an en-suite bathroom – £15,885
4. New conservatory/orangery – £15,564
5. Building a wall to create separate rooms – £13,977
6. Creating a home bar – £13,939
7. Creating a home gym – £13,574
8. New kitchen – £12,057
9. New porch – £11,252
10. Adapting a room to make it multifunctional – £10,772

How to capitalise on the boom in demand

The home improvement boom of 2021 doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon – 86% of tradespeople say they’re ‘very busy’ this year. So, to capitalise on the opportunities brought about by plentiful demand, many tradespeople are optimising their businesses for the short term, whilst also future-proofing their operations for years to come.

We asked over 600 Rated People tradespeople how they’re adapting their business this year, and investing in new tools and vehicles was the number one answer – almost half are planning to do this in 2022.

Many are also focusing on marketing and promotion – one in three (30%) are improving their website and social channels and one in four (27%) are investing in marketing to attract new business.

How tradespeople are adapting their business in 2022:

1. Investing in new tools and vehicles – 45% (of UK tradespeople are doing this in 2022)
2. Hiring more staff to complete the work – 36%
3. Improving their website and social channels – 30%
4. Investing in marketing/ advertising to attract more business – 27%
5. Expanding skillset to offer more services – 26%
6. Expanding into different locations – 21%
7. Forming partnerships to facilitate more jobs – 14%
8. Hiring support for business/ admin operations – 10%

See the full 2022 Home Improvement Trends Report.

The post How tradespeople can capitalise on the home improvement boom appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

Over the past year, demand for eco home improvements has gone through the roof.

Awareness around the need to live more sustainably has never been higher, so it’s no surprise that more homeowners than ever are looking for ways to reduce their impact on the planet by making their homes more environmentally friendly.

But, as the cost of living soars and energy prices keep increasing… many homeowners are also looking to make energy-saving eco home upgrades to help with the cost of their bills. More than half in fact (52%) said saving money on bills was their main motivator to having eco home improvements added to their home.

From solar panels to extra insulation, there are lots of ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, and our latest Trends Report reveals the biggest trends for eco home improvements this year – from the most popular eco adaptations, to the ones that now add the most value to your home, and also the UK’s greenest trades and how tradespeople are helping to build a greener future for everyone.

We’ve also collaborated with internationally renowned interiors consultant, author and TV presenter, Michelle Ogundehin, on how to make your decoration and home design more sustainable. If you’d like to read her expert tips, head here.

And if this has got you inspired to make some eco improvements to your home, you can find local painters and decorators, builders, thermal insulation specialists and gas and heating engineers right here on Rated People.

Rising demand for eco home improvements

When looking at the volume of home improvement jobs posted on Rated People by UK homeowners, demand for roof insulation increased by an incredible 419% in 2021 when compared to the year before.

Demand for at-home electric car charging points also increased by a staggering 404%, cavity wall insulation went up by 352% and heat pumps saw demand rise by an incredible 312%.

The top 15 eco jobs with the biggest increases in demand from homeowners:

1. Roof insulation – 419% (increase in the number of jobs posted by homeowners to Rated People)
2. Electric car charging point installation – 404%
3. Cavity wall insulation – 352%
4. Heat pump – 312%
5. Underfloor insulation – 265%
6. Smart meter – 49%
7. Living roof – 48%
8. Thermal insulation – 46%
9. Triple glazing – 35%
10. Electric underfloor heating – 33% 
11. External wall insulation – 29%
12. Water underfloor heating – 27% 
13. Solar panel installation – 17%
14. uPVC windows and door – 17%
15. Double glazing – 10%

The Most Popular Eco Upgrades for 2022

Our research shows UK homeowners are keen to invest in eco home technology this year. One in five (20%) are looking to have a smart meter installed, and with energy prices increasing by around £700 a year on average, it’s easy to see why so many homeowners are keen to have one installed this year.

19% of UK homeowners will be installing smart lighting, 18% are upgrading old appliances for newer more energy efficient models, and one in six (18%) want to have solar panels installed.

The top 10 eco improvements homeowners are planning to make in 2022:

1. Installing a smart meter – 20% (of UK homeowners are planning to make this eco upgrade this year)
2. Draught proofing – 20%
3. Installing smart lighting – 19%
4. Extra insulation – 19%
5. Upgrading old appliances – 18%
6. Installing solar panels – 18%
7. Installing a low flow toilet – 14%
8. Installing double glazing – 13%
9. Creating a compost pile – 13%
10. Installing a smart thermostat – 13%

Eco home improvements that will maximise your home’s value

Eco home improvements can help lower your bills by improving your home’s energy-efficiency, but they can also increase the value of your home too.

To find out which eco additions are now the most coveted, we spoke to thousands of potential homebuyers across the UK and asked them how much extra they would pay for a property with a range of different environmentally friendly improvements.

Solar panels and wind turbines are the top two eco upgrades that are most valued by buyers – both of which would enable new owners to create their own energy, and in turn could help to reduce the cost of their bills – they would also collectively add around £26,000 to the value of your home.

Other highly prized eco adaptations include underfloor heating, heat pumps, green roofs and electric car charging points.

The top 15 eco home improvements that can add the most value to your home:

1. Solar panels – £13,512 (value increase)
2. Wind turbine – £12,941
3. Triple glazing – £12,788
4. Underfloor heating – £12,290
5. Ground source heat pump – £12,251
6. Double glazing – £12,005
7. Extra insulation, like cavity wall insulation – £11,764
8. Biomass boiler – £11,756
9. Air source heat pump – £11,670
10. Solar water heating – £11,646
11. Electric car charging point – £11,538
12. Green/living roof – £11,477
13. Biodiverse garden – £11,444
14. Old appliances replaced with new ones – £11,190
15. Draught proofing – £11,151

How tradespeople are going greener in 2022

Almost two in three tradespeople (63%) will be making eco changes to their businesses and work in 2022 to up their green credentials, and 70% are planning to extend their skillset this year to take on more eco jobs.

And it’s a good job too, as 43% of homeowners now say they’d be more likely to choose a tradesperson if they were environmentally friendly.

Just like homeowners, tradespeople are recognising the contribution they can make to living more sustainably, and this year, UK tradespeople are reducing the amount they travel to reduce pollution by taking more local jobs, giving quotes remotely and using British parts where possible.

They’re also planning to recycle more, use greener materials and drive electric vehicles in 2022 to make their businesses more eco-friendly.

The top eight eco changes tradespeople are making in 2022:

1. Improve recycling – 41% (of tradespeople will do this in 2022)
2. Reduce waste – 34%
3. Use environmentally friendly materials/ products – 27%
4. Take jobs locally/ don’t travel too far for jobs – 27%
5. Give more quotes remotely to cut down on driving – 25%
6. Get an electric vehicle – 20%
7. Use British parts where possible/ support other local businesses – 18%
8. Use second hand parts where possible – 14%

The UK’s greenest trades

When looking at which trades are planning to make eco changes the most this year, more than four in five (85%) bathroom fitters are intending to be more environmentally friendly in 2022 – the most of any trade.

And at least 55% of all the other trades in the top 10 are also looking to upgrade their practices to be more environmentally friendly this year.

The top 10 trades making eco changes the most in 2022:

1. Bathroom fitters – 85% (are going greener this year)
2. Roofers – 75%
3. Gardeners/ landscape gardeners – 68%
4. Builders – 68%
5. Electricians – 65%
6. Carpenters/ joiners – 64%
7. Painters and decorators – 62%
8. Plumbers – 60%
9. Plasterers/renderers – 59%
10. Tilers – 55%

Almost two in three tradespeople (63%) say their main motivation for making eco changes this year is because they care about the planet. An awareness of changing consumer preferences is also having an impact, with one in three (36%) of those who are making eco changes in 2022, saying they’re making changes because homeowners want businesses to be more environmentally friendly.

And just 13% say they are doing it because their competitors are, so they feel they also need to.

Where demand is increasing the most in the UK

When it comes to the places around the UK that are most keen to get on board the eco train – it’s Aberdeen that saw the biggest rise in demand for eco home improvement jobs in 2021, with 178% more eco jobs posted on Rated People, when compared to the year before.

Bournemouth, Llandudno, Kirkaldy and Ipswich make up the rest of the top five – all of which have seen homeowner demand for eco home improvements increase by a minimum of 140% in just one year.

The UK towns and cities where demand for eco home improvements has increased the most:

1. Aberdeen – 178% (increase in the number of jobs posted in 2021 compared to the year before)
2. Bournemouth – 174%
3. Llandudno – 170%
4. Kirkcaldy – 167%
5. Ipswich – 146%
6. Newport – 131%
7. Guildford – 127%
8. Exeter – 125%
9. Gloucester – 115%
10. Newcastle Upon Tyne – 113%

Internationally renowned interiors consultant, author and TV presenter, Michelle Ogundehin, on creating a sustainable home

“Your home is as vital to your wellbeing as good food, regular exercise and sleep. And the drive to create a happy home is part of being human. To create one that reflects who you are is to curate a little piece of the world as your own. But today, we want to be able to do that in a way that’s healthy for both us and the planet. It’s about making considered choices for the long term, on every level.”

Michelle Ogundehin’s tips for a sustainable home

1. Surround yourself primarily with elemental materials – like marble, granite, wood, glass and cotton, as these will only ever contribute to your wellbeing. But, as well as being natural in origin, these materials need to be tactile. As physical sensory beings, we need to surround ourselves with surfaces that stimulate.
   
2. Avoid plastics, vinyl or synthetics wherever you can – from nylon carpets and polyester fabrics to formaldehyde exuding MDF. They all contain chemicals which you do not want in your happy healthy, soon to be non-toxic home.
   
3. Boring but important: do your draught proofing. There’s no point installing solar panels, roof insulation or underfloor heating if all that lovely heat and energy is whistling straight out through leaky windows and doors. Seal them up and save.
   
4. When adding insulation, ask your builder to look into environmentally friendly options – like hempcrete, cork, sheep’s wool, cellulose (from shredded paper) or wood wool. All non-irritant, safe to handle and completely recyclable.  
   
5. Add thermostats in every room. You can then control which rooms are heated according to who’s at home. It’s easy to turn the temperature down with home tech and one degree lower could see you make savings of up to £75/year according to the Energy Saving Trust.
   
6. Wash at a max temperature of 30 degrees. Your clothes will be just as clean, and you’ll save even more money by using less energy.
   
7. Choose natural lime-based paints. Did you know that most paints are 37% plastic? And a major cause of global microplastic pollution? Choose natural lime-based paints so you and your home can breathe more easily. Lime-based paints also naturally inhibit bacteria and mould. Ask for lime-based plaster wherever possible too when you’re renovating.

“Bottom line is, the planet doesn’t need a few people doing everything perfectly, it needs millions of people doing what they can. Happy planet = happy home for everyone.”

For more on the boom in eco home improvements, and lots more, see the full 2022 Home Improvement Trends Report.

The post 2022’s biggest eco home improvement trends appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

For the latest home improvement and renovation insights, check out our Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2023.

Since the start of the pandemic, our desire for home improvement has accelerated at an incredible pace and it’s easy to understand why. The last two years have fundamentally changed the way we use our living space, and we’ve used skilled tradespeople across the country to modify our homes for new ways of living.

In 2021, half (49%) of UK residents made improvements to their homes and demand for tradespeople increased by 32%. When compared to the start of the pandemic in 2020, demand for home improvement has gone up by a massive 50%. 

But Covid and Brexit have also presented a lot of challenges, like material supply issues, production cost increases and workforce shortages, and these have impacted both homeowners and tradespeople across the country. It hasn’t always been easy to complete home improvement work but homeowners and tradespeople have persevered!

Almost nine in 10 tradespeople (89%) say their costs increased in 2021, 84% experienced materials supply issues and just under half (44%) had workforce shortages. 

So how has this all affected the bottom line? How much will prices go up for renovations and home improvements this year, and which types of projects are set to increase in price the most?

The rising cost of renovations

89% of tradespeople say their costs (for things like materials and their workforce) increased in 2021, and in 2022, 91% of tradespeople expect their costs will go up further. So, it’s not surprising that this year, a large proportion say they will need to pass those increasing costs on to consumers in order to stay profitable – 82% of tradespeople are anticipating they’ll need to put their prices up this year.

Last year, this meant prices for home improvement work increased by 15% on average for homeowners. Nearly four in five tradespeople (78%) put their prices up by 20% or less, and only 3% pushed their prices up by 50% or more.

So what’s in store for this year? Well – the price of some renovation projects could increase by 40%…

Labour and materials for a bathroom renovation are expected to cost around £5,726 on average in 2022, which is 22% higher than 2021, and a huge 40% more than in 2020. The price of both loft conversions and kitchen renovations are set to increase by 25% compared to 2020, and an extension will be 23% more expensive than just two years ago.

The top trades that are putting their prices up in 2022

Renovation and home improvement jobs that need builders, heating engineers, plasterers and carpenters are the most likely to increase in price this year – 97% of builders, 91% of heating engineers, 89% of plasterers and 89% of carpenters will be upping their prices.

The top 10 trades increasing their prices in 2022

Struggling to keep up with demand

In addition to increasing prices, homeowners also found it hard to get hold of tradespeople that were available to do the work in 2021. Almost two thirds (62%) of tradespeople said 2021 was ‘the busiest year they’ve ever had’, so it’s not surprising that 45% of homeowners struggled to find an available tradesperson last year. 

London was the worst affected, with 54% of homeowners encountering availability challenges. And Liverpool (53%), Edinburgh (49%) and Belfast (48%) weren’t far behind.

More than one in three tradespeople (43%) also said they felt an increased level of stress in 2021 because of the industry challenges and exploding demand, and one in four (25%) said they felt exhausted.

But, one in three (34%) did say that the opportunities meant they felt an increased sense of motivation and one in four (27%) said they had increased job satisfaction and an increased sense of achievement last year.

Material and workforce shortages

Across the UK, 45% of homeowners experienced delays with work they were having done and 43% had to change their original plans because materials or design elements were sold out.

Almost two thirds (62%) of tradespeople told us they were forced to delay or cancel jobs in 2021, and this year, tradespeople are still expecting to be hit with challenges, but a smaller amount expect this will cause delays and disruption – just 44% expect they’ll have to cancel or delay jobs this year.

Unsurprisingly, Covid was a major cause of disruption in 2021, but the main reason for cancellations and delays was actually materials shortages, with 44% of tradespeople saying they had to delay or cancel work because of supply issues.

Plasterers/ renderers were the most affected by supply issues, but nearly all trades experienced shortages. Between 75% and 96% of the top 10 most affected trades found it difficult to get the materials they needed.

The top 10 trades that were most affected by materials shortages in 2021

Workforce and contractor shortages were also experienced by many trade businesses in 2021, with the main causes being Covid isolation and a lack of skilled workers.

The top reasons why UK trades suffered workforce shortages in 2021

How we’re improving our homes in 2022

Despite the challenges, demand for home improvement and renovations is staying strong this year, with 86% of tradespeople expecting to be ‘very busy’ in 2022. So, when it comes to the ways we’ll be adapting our homes, homeowners are investing most of their budget on maximising space and enhancing functionality.

Extensions, annexes, new conservatories and building walls to create separate rooms are among the top five improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022.

Creating a home bar is sixth in the priority list when it comes to the amount of budget they’re setting aside – ahead of home gyms in seventh place. Other ‘pandemic-inspired’ home improvements like adapting a room to make it multifunctional, and adding an outdoor entertaining area also make the priority list.

The top 15 home improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on in 2022

Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People: 

“So many aspects of our lives are now affected by rising prices, so if you’re doing work to your home this year – to ensure you get the best value, it’s now more important than ever to start planning and budgeting as early as possible so you can negotiate a good price and avoid tradespeople being booked up for months in advance.

At Rated People, we make it easy for homeowners to find quality, local tradespeople, so however you’d like to improve your home this year, we’re a great place to start your search for a trusted tradesperson.” 

The post The UK home improvement boom: demand is up 50% into 2022 appeared first on Rated People Blog.

2021 was the year that 35% of UK homeowners made their homes more environmentally friendly, and we predict that these numbers will continue to grow in the upcoming years. Sick of your non-energy efficient petrol or diesel car? Well, the days of expensive maintenance fees and high emissions will be over soon. They could be over right now, for you, with the help of an electric car and home car charger. We found out, in the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022, that demand for electric car charging points has shot up by 80%. This means that now, more than ever, homeowners across the UK are making their motoring greener.

Thinking of joining the 45% of homeowners planning to make eco-friendly changes in 2022? An electric car may be the right choice for you. From the surge in electric car charging points, long term financial savings and outperformance of petrol-powered cars, an electric car could be this year’s best purchase. To give you an idea of the rate of expansion, in 2011 there were 1,300 public charging connectors, compared to 22,000 individual connectors now. Within the UK, you have 12,000 locations to choose from where you can top up your batteries, a number that increases daily.

So, what are the main factors to be aware of when it comes to electric cars? Studies show people are reluctant to buy electric cars because they’re afraid that charging them can be problematic.

Electric vehicle charging stations (EV chargers) supply electrical power for charging electric vehicles. The three main types of home car charging reflect the speed and voltage with which you can charge your car- slow, fast, rapid.

• Level 1: This is the usual charger supplied with most electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars. This type of charger will let you plug-in overnight for a full battery. In smaller cars a full charge can take up to eight hours.
• Level 2: If you want to double the rate of charge for your EV battery, this is the right charger for you. You can reduce your ‘fully charged’ time to just a few hours with a level 2 fast charger, which is the maximum speed charger you can have installed at home.
• Level 3: A rapid charger is the fastest way to charge your EV. This means you can add up to 100 miles of range in 35 minutes. However, these chargers are ​​designed for commercial locations and aren’t an option for home use.

So, you might be thinking about the high up-front cost of a home car charging point, but over time your electric car ends up costing less. Your future self will thank you. A home installation typically costs around £800 but with the help of increasing government incentives and the £3,500 ‘Plug-in Grant’, the switch to electric couldn’t be easier.

Many of us are already opting to dramatically lower our impact on the environment with an electric car. Our research ranks electric car charging point installation as the second most quickly growing eco job in popularity. But don’t worry if you’re out and low on charge, there are thousands of free electric car charging points across the UK. Following the government announcement of EV charging stations as a requirement for all new homes and businesses in the UK, starting this year, recharging your electric car will soon be as easy as refuelling with petrol or diesel.

The growth of EV charging infrastructures means struggling to find a car charging station will be a thing of the past. You can’t install a home car charging point yourself, but with the help and expertise of a local qualified electrician the job can be done in a few hours. Find certified and experienced electricians on Rated People to make the change to electric, as smooth and easy as possible.

Whether you’re a homeowner looking for home improvement inspiration or a tradesperson trying to help build a greener world, check out our Home Improvement Trends Report for all our key predictions this year. 

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From bright green wild grasses to vibrant quilts of moss, green roofs are a fantastic way to create new green spaces that brighten up your home and provide multiple benefits to you, simply by using that neglected square footage on your roof.

So what is a green roof? A green roof is a layer of vegetation planted over a waterproof membrane on a flat or slightly sloping surface – think city office block rooftops, your kitchen extension or that much-used garden office. Increasingly popular across the UK, a green roof is a clever way to take advantage of a seemingly unused space and turn it into a green haven.

5 Reasons You Should Consider Getting a Green Roof

1. There’s no denying it: a luscious green space is beautiful to look at and it adds a natural element to your home’s exterior. Interestingly enough, allowing nature into your space will not only increase your sense of well-being, but it will also increase the value of your property.

2. Green roofs increase the life span of your roof; by protecting the material underneath from weather damage they can double or triple longevity to up to sixty years.

3. The covering of soil and plants improves roof drainage by slowing the flow of rainwater and is also a natural fire-resistant barrier, reducing both flood and fire risk.

4. Green roofs give better insulation, which will reduce heating bills, but their earth also absorbs a lot of sunlight and heat which lowers the temperature inside and outside the building.

5. Creating a green space on the roof has incredible benefits for nature; not only does greenery convert carbon dioxide into oxygen – improving air quality – but it offers a much needed habitat for insects, butterflies and birds. 

Whether you’re an avid gardener looking for a project or you want to add some low-maintenance greenery to your unused space, there is a green roof design for you. Like a garden, green roofs need tending to ensure they flourish, so choose a high or low maintenance planting option that suits you.

A good way to decide is to get advice on the location, design and layout of your garden roof when you start planning. A professional can also help you navigate the challenges of a green roof; they can be more expensive than traditional roofs and they are heavier, so the roof and building must be able to bear the extra load.

 So How Are Green Roofs Made?

It’s easy! There are many specialist companies that make ready-to-install units or vegetation blankets that are simply added on top of a protective roof layer, so it’s quick and you get to see the final green look straightaway. These ready-made solutions come in different types of composition meaning you can decide what you like and what suits your roof space.

Looking for a landscape architect or a roofing specialist? Find vetted, professional tradespeople by posting your job on Rated People. 

If you’re looking for home improvement inspiration or advice on how to create a more sustainable home, check out our Home Improvement Trends Report. 

The post Blending nature and architecture with green roofs appeared first on Rated People Blog.

The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme helps women to work in trades. JOIN THE PROGRAMME

There is a shockingly low representation of women in the trades industry and we think it’s about time that changed.

Women make up less than 1% of carpenters and joiners in the UK, and less than 4% of electricians, plumbers, floorers and tilers are women.

It’s 2022, and this isn’t right. This needs to change, and we’re taking a stand to push for that change!

We want to help more women to work in the trades industry, inclusive of all who identify as women, and we’re doing this by launching the Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme.

If you’re in school and thinking about your career choices, or you want a career change later in life, we’ve teamed up with some brilliant partners to offer a host of benefits to make it easier to get into, and work in the industry.

Free exposure and leads on Rated People

3 months free Rated People membership*:

• Up to £150 free credit each month to spend on customer job leads
• Special discount on lead prices
• Dedicated Account Manager to support your business growth

Plus, gain access to our exclusive partner deals with Access Training and Trades Business Coach, Alison Warner

Discounted skills training

20% off training on trade courses and qualifications with trade course specialists, Access Training

Discounted business development and training

50% off 12 months of training with Business Trades Coach, Alison Warner at Evolve and Grow coaching

We’re also making a pledge to:

• Feature more tradeswomen in our marketing and branding
• Promote the incredible work already being done by tradeswomen in the industry
• Increase awareness of the opportunities available to women within the industry, so we can redress the imbalance and change perceptions that ‘only men’ can work in trade jobs

For insights on the biggest trends in home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022.

* The ‘Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme’ is valid for tradeswomen customers who sign up as the main account holder and verify as such through our vetting & quality process between February 21st and August 21st 2022. Offers and Promotion Partners may differ. This offer runs in addition to all other offers available to all Rated People customers. Contact us for more information. Standard Terms & Conditions apply.  

The post The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme appeared first on Rated People Blog.

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

So much has been done in recent years to promote diversity and end inequality – there’s still a long way to go, but there are positive signs that change is starting to happen.

Watch our video with four truly inspirational tradeswomen

International Women’s Day: 8th March 2022

International Women’s Day is an annual international initiative, striving for a gender equal world and helping to raise awareness of inequality while empowering women to succeed. The theme of IWD 2022 is #BreakTheBias. That’s exactly the objective of one of our Home Improvement Trends Report features, asking: “Why aren’t there more tradeswomen in the UK?”, and the reason we created The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme.

 The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme helps women get into the trades industry and build successful careers. Read more now

When it comes to women in the trades industry, inclusive of all who identify as women – did you know just how imbalanced it is? Women make up less than 1% of carpenters and less than 2% of electricians and plumbers are women. And of the 20 worst professions in the UK for the representation of women, more than half are trade jobs.

This isn’t right.

To discover the reasons behind the shockingly low representation of women in the trades industry, we spoke to school leavers about the careers advice they were given in school. We also listened to more than 600 tradespeople across the UK. And we also spoke to thousands of homeowners about their attitudes to hiring tradeswomen.

Some of the things we found out were shocking, and others encouraging. But one thing was clear, we wanted to do something about it to make it easier for more women to get into the industry and thrive in their trade careers.

Because it’s 2022, and it’s about time this changed.  

The worst jobs in the UK right now for the representation of women

Just 0.81% of vehicle technicians are women, which is the lowest of more than 300 professions in the UK.

Carpenters and joiners are second-worst for the representation of women, with below 1% (0.99%) of the employees being women, followed by electricians where just 1.73% of the workforce is made up of women.

Across the 20 professions with the lowest representation of women, none of them have more than 5% of women in the workforce. And within those 20, 11 of them are in the trades industry.

20 worst jobs for the representation of women

The top 20 jobs with the highest representation of women right now

Looking at the professions where women make up the majority of the workforce, many of the roles in the top 20 are in childcare. These include nursery nurses in first place, where women make up 98% of the UK workforce, childminders are in fourth position, school secretaries are sixth and teaching assistants are in seventh. None of the professions in the top 20 are in the trades industry.

Although it is great to see industries where women continue to be the trailblazers, this is more proof that attitudes towards what’s considered a ‘woman’s job’ or a ‘man’s job’ needs to change.

Just as the trade industry needs more opportunities for women to feel comfortable and excel, there also needs to be more men entering caring and teaching roles to show future generations that women can fit your kitchen or fix your heating just as men can teach, nurture and entertain nursery children.

20 best jobs for the representation of women

The representation of women in 15 key trades

Across 15 key trades in the industry, women only make up more of the workforce in one of the professions – cleaning. For all other 14 jobs in the trade industry, none of them have more than 10% of women in the workforce.

Less than 1% of carpenters are women, and less than 5% of plumbers, builders, electricians and painters in the UK are women.

Why are there so few women in the trades industry?

We spoke to three school leavers to see if they would consider working as a tradeswoman and we also asked them about the career advice they got at school.

Two of the three young women said that they wouldn’t consider being a tradeswoman because of how “male-orientated” the industry is, with one adding “being a woman going into that industry is quite daunting.”

Both also spoke about how the industry isn’t promoted to girls in school.

“In secondary school and college this option is never usually targeted towards women when it comes to apprenticeships – they are stereotypically centred around beauty and hair, giving the sense that this is a ‘woman’s job,’ and being in the trades industry is a ‘man’s job.’ Although, I disagree with that, the option to be in the trade industry definitely feels like it is shut off to women.”

One of the school leavers also followed up with concerns around personal safety. She said: “I don’t feel comfortable as a woman going into other people’s houses and I feel I would come under a lot of judgement.”

This, although a small sample, could indicate that one of the reasons why more women aren’t getting into trades is because of how opportunities are communicated to them.

The pay gap

On average, women earn just 72% of what men do across 15 key trades in the industry, which could be another reason for women not wanting to work in the industry.

On average women earn almost 30% less than men, but for women floorers and wall tilers, they earn 59% less than men in the same profession, making it the occupation with the largest gender pay gap in the trades industry.

Women metal workers earn just 51% of a man’s salary in the same trade, seeing a £18,772 difference in pay over a year. Glaziers and window fitters closely follow, as women earn just 52% of a man’s salary (or 48% less).

Women electricians earn 54% of what men do. Women in construction and building trades only earn the equivalent of 57% of a man’s salary, and women plumbers would take home just 61% of what a man would in the same trade.

10 trades with the biggest gender pay gaps

The biggest challenges for tradeswomen

More than one in three tradeswomen say they experience gender discrimination by customers, with 39% saying “some customers don’t take me seriously because of my gender”. And almost one in 10 said some of their customers have completely refused to let them do a job when they see they’re a woman.

One in seven (15%) say they have concerns for personal safety, almost 10% (9%) say they face social stigma and judgement from their friends and family, and almost one in 10 (9%) say sexism is the biggest challenge they face.

The benefits of working as a tradeswoman

We also asked tradeswomen what they most valued about working in the trades industry and this revealed flexibility and autonomy are some of the biggest benefits:

• 22% enjoy being their own boss
• 18% said flexible working hours was the key benefit for them
• 15% like being able to choose how much work to take on
• 12% said that they just love their job
• 8% said getting to help women who don’t feel comfortable having a tradesman in their home was rewarding for them

Opportunities for tradeswomen

Positively, there are some good indicators that things are starting to change in the industry. This could be a knock-on effect of so many people reevaluating their careers and jobs during the pandemic, but encouragingly, 32% of women across the UK say they’d now potentially consider changing career to work as a tradeswoman.

Access Training also revealed that the admissions of women on trade courses increased by 27% in 2021, suggesting the tide is starting to change.  

Our research found that nearly half of UK homeowners (46%) say they would definitely hire a tradeswoman and 43% said that they would have no preference between hiring a tradesman or tradeswoman. Just 11% of UK homeowners said they would only look to hire a tradesman.

We also analysed Google search data to gauge homeowner demand for tradeswomen. UK homeowners looked online for women painters more than any other trade in 2021, pulling in 27,500 Google searches over a 12-month period, and women builders, gardeners, plumbers and electricians make up the rest of the top five most searched for types of tradeswomen.

The Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

Building on our research, we wanted to create an ‘Empowering Tradeswomen’ programme to help more women get into the trades industry and build successful careers. Whether that’s someone who’s considering a career change, or someone who’ll soon be leaving school, the programme is designed to help women at all stages of their trades careers.

It’s brilliant that more women are now considering a career in the trades industry, but there’s still a long way to go to reduce the imbalance and gender pay gap.

There’s so much more that can be done to increase awareness around the opportunities of working as a tradeswoman – starting with careers advice at school, all the way up to how tradespeople are represented in our culture and mainstream media.

At Rated People, we’re making a pledge to feature more tradeswomen in our marketing and comms and we want to promote the incredible work being done by tradeswomen already in the industry. To make it easier for more women to get into and thrive in the industry, the Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme includes discounted skills training with Access Training, discounted business advice with Business Trades Coach, Alison Warner, and free exposure and leads on Rated People – head here for all the details.

The ‘Rated People Empowering Tradeswomen Programme’ is valid for tradeswomen customers who sign up as the main account holder and verify as such through our vetting & quality process between February 21st and August 21st 2022. Offers and Promotion Partners may differ. This offer runs in addition to all other offers available to all Rated People customers. Contact us for more information. Standard Terms & Conditions apply. 

Methodology

• Nationwide survey completed with Censuswide, to 2,015 UK residents aged 16 and above.

• Nationwide tradespeople survey to 626 tradespeople aged 18 and above – research complete December 2021.

• Data on the representation of women and gender pay gap sourced from careersmart.

The post Standing up for tradeswomen appeared first on Rated People Blog.

One of our main stories in this year’s trends report is about the low representation of women within the trades industry.

There are so many reasons why there are so few women in trade jobs – from poor careers advice at school, to how tradespeople are represented in our culture and mainstream media. But, it’s 2022 and it’s about time this changed.

So, here we hear first hand from an inspirational Rated People tradeswoman, Kalece Okusanya, on the biggest challenges she faces as a tradeswoman, and what she thinks needs to change to enable more women to work in the industry.

Kalece Okusanya

Kalece Okusanya is a tradeswoman with 6 years’ experience, and the owner of Suave Property Care – a painting and decorating business that offers high quality decorating, flooring and general maintenance throughout London and the surrounding areas.

Kalece studied business at college. She got into the trade industry by accident when she volunteered on a project when she was younger. She didn’t plan on being a painter but she now loves mixing her hands-on work with her financial planning and people management skills that are needed to run a business.

Key challenges tradeswomen face

Kalece says the main challenge is that clients just aren’t used to seeing a young black woman in the industry.

She says she’s often challenged on her knowledge and expertise, and when she’s explaining to a client what can and can’t be done on a job, she thinks they would respect her judgment more if she were a man. 

In the past, clients have tested her to see how much she knows. And once when she was demonstrating how to tackle a specific job to a more junior painter, a plasterer decided he knew best and proceeded to take over explaining the required technique. When Kalece informed the plasterer that she was managing the job and she owned the company, he was shocked. 

You need to dig deep

Kalece knows it can be daunting for women working in the trades industry – she says she’s experienced people who have tried to intimidate her as a tradeswoman:

“Sometimes people like to make you think you don’t know what you’re doing, and mentally and emotionally, this can be exhausting. As a tradeswoman, there have been times when I’ve had to dig deep to find the motivation to come to work because sometimes you have to fight harder to prove yourself and gain the recognition you deserve as a woman in the industry.”

For insights on the biggest trends in renovation and home improvement, take a look at the Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report 2022 READ THE 2022 REPORT

Kalece feels very confident in her expertise and knowledge. She adds that things have already started to change for the better – now, she doesn’t feel like she has to work any harder than others to prove herself because she’s a woman. But there’s still a lot more that needs to happen to redress the gender equality in the industry.

There should be more women doing what men do

Kalece wants to see more women working in trades. She says that no matter what industry you’re in, you should see more women doing what men are doing. In her opinion, better representation is key to making a difference, like showcasing women that are in trades now. She thinks that there needs to be more encouragement for young women to learn a trade, because it is 2022 and it’s shocking that the representation of women is still so low in the industry. 

Let your work do the talking

For anyone who’s leaving school and thinking about career options, or for anyone who might be considering a career change, Kalece says focus is key: 

“Be very clear about what you want in the industry and always be professional – let the work and your conduct do the talking and don’t overcompensate for things. Just apply yourself.”

The post My story: working as a tradeswoman appeared first on Rated People Blog.

A guide to the year’s biggest trends in renovation and home design

In this year’s Home Improvement Trends Report, we start by taking a look back at 2020 to see how the year that no one expected has impacted our relationships with our homes.

From the rise of the home office, to the home improvements buyers now value the most – we’ve analysed more than 500,000 jobs on Rated People, and spoken to thousands of homeowners across the UK to uncover the renovation and interior design trends that will dominate 2021 and beyond.

Read the full Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report: 2021, and to receive more great home improvement tips and inspiration, sign up to our monthly newsletter – keep scrolling and a form will appear.

If you’re looking to sell your home in 2021, or you’re just curious about ways to maximise space or update the design – you can find local builders and other tradespeople right here on Rated People. If you enjoy our report, don’t forget to share it with friends on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Home improvement trends 2021

1. The race for space

The pandemic has changed UK homeowners’ priorities when it comes to what we want from our homes. Lots of us want to add space to our homes, and jobs such as building an extension, adding bespoke storage and knocking walls down to create an open plan, multi-functional space are amongst the top jobs planned.

Our plans to optimise space aren’t limited to our existing properties either; 25% of UK residents want to move to a bigger property in the next year, whilst 29% want to move to a property that has more outdoor space.

Potential buyers are willing to cough up the cash for a home that has the extra space, too. Features promising privacy add the most value to your property, with homeowners expecting to pay around £14,000 more for a self-contained annex. Smaller upgrades are also highly desired – a vegetable patch could get you over £6,000 more for your home.

2. Home is where the home office is

55% of the UK worked from home in 2020, but many of our home office set-ups didn’t inspire productivity. 41% of those working from home told us they didn’t have a proper desk, and 24% said they were embarrassed by their background on video calls. So, it’s no surprise that 38% of us want to improve our home offices in 2021.

The number of ‘home office’ jobs posted on Rated People more than doubled in 2020 and 43% of UK residents say they plan to work from home more than they did before (even if COVID-19 were to completely disappear), so we’re definitely expecting this trend to continue into 2021 and beyond.

When it comes to home office design, our analysis of home offices on Instagram reveals that Scandi styling was increasingly popular in 2020, and neutral colours, house plants and simple furniture are shaping up to be key trends for 2021.

3. Upping the eco

57% of UK residents told us they wanted to be more eco-friendly in 2021 – whether that’s recycling more, eating less meat, or making home improvements to make our homes more eco-friendly or more energy-efficient.

Government initiatives such as the Green Homes Grant are helping homeowners to improve their homes in different ways, and in 2020, uPVC windows and doors, roof insulation and solar panel installation were amongst the top 15 eco jobs posted on Rated People. This year, another 4% of the UK say they plan to apply for the Green Homes Grant, to help them complete green upgrades.

3. Gorgeous gardens

Our gardens were a sanctuary for many of us in 2020. 39% of us got more into gardening during lockdown, and 64% of UK residents now say they wouldn’t buy a home if it didn’t have any outside space.

Many of the top gardening jobs completed in 2020 also made their way onto gardening wish lists for 2021. 47% of UK residents are planning improvements for their gardens this year, and the top jobs that gardeners are keen to tackle are: planting new flowers and trees, creating a vegetable patch; and installing a new shed, fencing or external lighting.

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What are your home improvement goals for 2021? Whether you’re planning a big renovation or smaller upgrades, share your ideas with us on our social media:

Stay up to date with the latest home improvement trends and connect with a local, skilled tradesperson by downloading our app on the App Store or Google Play.

The post Introduction to the Trends Report 2021 appeared first on Rated People Blog.

Easy-to-fix issues that could devalue your home by up to £100k

Alongside classic home improvements like a kitchen refurb or an extension, our research showed the pandemic has led to cleanliness becoming more important than ever to buyers.

If you’re looking to sell, a dirty home could now seriously spoil your chances of getting a good offer. 43% of potential buyers say they now wouldn’t even arrange a viewing for a property if it looked unclean in the photos, and well over half (61%) say they’d place a lower offer if a property wasn’t clean when they viewed it.

There’s also a host of other easily fixable issues like scuffed paintwork and overgrown gardens that could lead to buyers reducing their offers. You could lose out on almost £10,000 just by having a messy and cluttered interior, and a dirty bathroom could mean potential buyers would look to pay around £9,000 less than if your bathroom looked sparkly clean.

The top 15 issues most likely to devalue your home in 2021 (and how much they’d knock off)

Whilst these issues could knock tens of thousands off your asking price, most of them can easily be fixed in less than 48 hours and without breaking the bank.

So, if you’re looking to sell and you’re wanting to get a higher offer for your property, here’s how to fix all 15 of the issues most likely to devalue your home in 2021.

Signs of damp or mould
If it’s a surface issue, then cleaning off the mould using warm water and bleach is a great way to remove the mould and subsequent staining that it can leave behind. Leave to dry overnight and then apply an anti-fungal treatment to prevent future mould growth.

Cracks in walls
For hairline cracks, use ‘crack-free ceilings’ paint to cover them and stop them coming back. For small unsightly cracks in plaster, often found around doorframes and staircases, use filler and then paint over. For anything bigger, it’s best to seek professional advice.

Mess and clutter inside
Mess and clutter can be overwhelming, so we’d recommend you tackle it room by room, starting with the lounge and kitchen. If you’re tight for time and have a photographer coming or a viewing happening shortly, focus on clearing surfaces and floorspace, making any beds and opening all the curtains or blinds to allow rooms to look bright, airy and inviting.

Scuffed paintwork and marked walls
A repaint can completely reinvigorate a tired interior, and if you opt for white, it’s not only more affordable, but it’ll make your home feel bigger, fresher and cleaner, which should entice more buyers and higher offers.

No double glazing
This is one of the few items on the list that doesn’t have a quick fix, but could still increase your property value substantially and will keep your heating costs down until you sell. Seeking professional help is best for installing double glazing – find rated window fitters in your area.

Peeling wallpaper
There are two options for sorting this issue – you can either strip the whole wall and repaint it, or hang a different wallpaper for a complete refresh. Alternatively, if you have some of the original wallpaper left, just strip the peeling section, and rehang a new strip to repair the individual section.

Dirty bathroom
We all know that cleaning a bathroom is one of the least glamourous jobs in the house, but considering it can knock almost £9,000 off homebuyer offers, it’s well worth doing! To go one step further than shiny taps and clear shower screens, you could also look to replace the silicone around the bath. It’s fiddly but it will dramatically upgrade the look of your bathroom if the old one is coming away from the edges or is discoloured.

Rubbish or debris in the front garden
It’s a cliché for a good reason – first impressions count. So, if there’s rubbish or debris in your front garden, make sorting this a priority before putting your home on the market. Move unsightly bins to the back garden if possible and tidy the space so it looks well-kept and inviting. If you have large amounts of rubbish to clear, you may want to rent a large rubbish container or hire a local removals service to take care of the job for you.

Broken or missing fence panels
This is definitely one of the issues that can appear more labour intensive and costly than it is. Fence panels tend to come in standard sizes so it should be fairly easy to replace damaged or missing ones. A simple toolkit and a friendly helper is all you’ll need.

Bad smells inside
Bad smells could be caused by a multitude of things, such as kitchen rubbish or clogged drains. Removing all waste, especially expired food, and cleaning out bins is a good start. Popping a box of baking soda in the fridge will help to absorb any nasty odours in there, and placing a cup of white vinegar in the dishwasher and putting it on a cycle will often do the trick. For washing machines, combining two cups of bleach and a hot water cycle should sort out any washing machine smells. If the odour is coming from your drains, you may need to bring in a drains expert to help locate and unclog them.

Dirty kitchen
Remove everything from the surfaces and wipe them down with anti-bacterial spray to disinfect your kitchen. Make sure you also wipe all cupboard fronts and the front of your fridge door so there are no unsightly splashes of last night’s bolognese for buyers to see. Also wipe the oven door and hob, and clean the mesh under the extractor fan so there’s no nasty grease on show. When it comes to viewings, remove as much as possible from your surfaces to give the feeling of space and cleanliness.

Outdated décor
A quick and affordable fix to freshen up outdated décor is to paint your walls white and ensure you have no more than 3 complementary colours in each room’s colour scheme. Stick to muted colour pallets for a classier and more sophisticated look. Hanging mirrors opposite windows can also help to open up a room and bring in light, which is particularly helpful for when photos are taken. If your carpets look tired and old fashioned, cover them with a rug in each room. You can get some really decent ones for between £50-£100 and they can really make a difference. General rule of thumb is plain rugs for patterned carpets, and vice versa. Berber rugs are very on trend and would instantly update a space.

Dirty, stained furnishings
Luckily, you can find a lot of tried and tested information online about how to treat various stains with simple household items, such as white vinegar, baking soda and bleach. Simply search for your issues, e.g. ‘red wine stain on sofa’ and the internet should provide a cost-effective and pain-free solution. For anything more stubborn or if you’re working with fragile materials, seek professional advice.

Overgrown garden
If you’re keen to tackle this yourself, get some decent gardening gloves and some strong secateurs. To give an immediate effect of more space, focus on cutting back overgrown bushes and plants. Remove leaves and debris off patios and lawns, and get the hose out to give walls and patios a clean. To make the outdoor space more inviting, add a handful of potted plants around the perimeter and dress the patio with some outdoor furniture.

Broken or damaged windows
Broken or damaged windows are a real turn-off for most homebuyers, so although it’s best to bring in the professionals for this issue, it’s something that’s well worth investing in. We’d recommend that you find a local window expert who can provide you with a quote to repair or replace your windows – you can arrange a quote through our site and agree on a fair price with a skilled and rated tradesperson.

Home improvements that add the most value post-pandemic

The pandemic has also changed what many buyers are looking for in their next home. Now, there’s more emphasis on the need for outdoor space, home offices and home gyms, and our research shows self-contained annexes, summerhouses and open plan living space can add more than £30,000 on to the value of your home.

Understandably, after a year of lockdowns, home improvements that enable outdoor entertaining have massively shot up in popularity. An outdoor cooking area, garden bar, and garden room can now add almost £23,000 onto your asking price.

The top 20 value-adding home improvements in 2021

So, if you’re thinking of ways to improve your home to maximise its value, choose some of the options above, and you may just increase the value of your home by more than £50,000.

 

The post Home improvements that add value and the issues that take it away appeared first on Rated People Blog.

A guide to what’s what in renovation and home design.

Our homes are constantly evolving to fit around family life, so to find out how UK homeowners are improving their homes in 2020, we analysed almost a million jobs posted on Rated People and spoke to homeowners and tradespeople up and down the country.

You can download the full Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report: 2020 here.

From huge spikes in people wanting to make their homes more eco-friendly, to millennials being more likely than any other generation to tackle big DIY renovation jobs – if you’re looking for inspiration for a future project, or you’re just curious to see which design features attract and repel the most buyers, here are five things we think will be big in 2020.

Design and renovation trends 2020

1. Open plan is evolving

It seems more of us are starting to prefer the idea of having a separate lounge to our ‘hub of the home’ kitchen diners. Jobs that involve putting a wall back in, to create separate living spaces, are up 350% in 2020 compared to 2019.

So, whether it’s an adult-only zone to kick back and relax in when the kids have gone to bed, or it’s a stylish room that blocks out the mess of everyday life, 2020 could be the year when open plan starts to evolve.

The 15 design features most likely to put buyers off

The 15 home improvements that attract the most buyers

3. Millennials are getting stuck into renovation to get onto the property ladder

Millennials are planning the most and biggest renovation jobs in 2020 compared with all other age groups.

They’re also twice as likely as the average UK homeowner to tackle jobs themselves, like plastering, fitting a new kitchen, removing an internal wall and even building a driveway.

Compared with just 20 years ago, it now takes the average adult an extra eight years to be able to buy their first home.

So, one of the reasons for the renovation work could be that more millennials are finding cheaper properties in need of work to get onto the illusive property ladder – and rather than making do with woodchip wallpaper and questionable carpets, they’re getting stuck into DIY to create the home of their dreams.

4. More of us want to make our homes more eco-friendly

Awareness of climate change and the damage that’s being done to the environment is higher than ever in the UK. Many of us are already using less plastic, eating less meat, and recycling more, and now twice as many UK homeowners are planning to make their homes more eco-friendly in 2020 compared to 2019. And, with the Green Homes Grant announced in July 2020, that number looks set to soar.

It’s not just homeowners who are focussing more on eco-friendly improvements either – 48% of tradespeople plan to introduce changes at work to become more eco-friendly in 2020. Common changes include upgrading to electric vehicles, recycling waste more efficiently, reusing old materials more, and moving towards using more conventional non-power reliant tools and machinery.

5. Safety and security are front of mind when it comes to home improvements

When looking at the jobs posted on Rated People that have seen the biggest spikes in popularity in the last three years, safety and security appear to be increasingly important for UK homeowners, with three of the top ten being around protecting our homes.

Fire alarm installation is the job that’s seen the biggest spike in popularity – up by a massive 178%, CCTV installation isn’t far behind with a 134% increase, and the installation of security gates and bollards is just inside the top 10 with a 72% increase.

Other jobs in the top 15 are to do with decoration, including decorative ironmongery and metalwork which has seen a huge 174% surge, and bathroom design which has increased by 69%.

Surprisingly, pebble dashing has seen a 69% increase, as have pond and water features, with a 64% increase. Building flat pack furniture has also seen a spike in uptake, with an increase of 61% over the last three years.

If you’re looking to sell your home in 2020, or just curious about ways to update the design – we can help you find local builders and tradespeople.

The post Introduction to the Trends Report 2020 appeared first on Rated People Blog.