Home Improvement Hotspots

The Office of National Statistics averaged weekly savings of 22% during the first lockdown. Paired with the fact that, during this year’s phased reopening of stores, DIY and garden centres were amongst the first to welcome back customers, it’s fitting that household goods stores saw the highest growth in sales across all sectors between April and May this year. 

So with additional savings, plus many months of the same four walls, Brits have turned to interior projects, en masse. Yet this influx in indoor upgrades has led to lengthy wait times for fittings that require professional expertise. Reviewing monthly searches across the UK, we’ve uncovered some interesting truths about the demand for home improvement services in 2021. 

We looked into the number of monthly searches for 12 different services across 47 UK towns and cities to find out not only which were the most sought after, but where the demand was most acute. These services were: 

Bathroom Fitters 

Builders 

Carpet Fitters 

Conservatories

Double Glazing 

Fitted Wardrobes 

Joiners 

Kitchen Fitters 

Landscapers 

Loft Conversion 

Roofers 

Solar Panel Fitters 

Cities With The Most Demand For Home Improvements 

Totalling 2,120 searches every month across the services above, homeowners in Glasgow are seeing the most demand for renovations. That means the Scottish city is potentially seeing the longest wait times across the Kingdom.

The most coveted service in Glasgow is double glazing; with 500 monthly searches for ‘double glazing Glasgow’ and with temperatures as cold as they can be over the border, we aren’t surprised. However, Glaswegians looking to get a new carpet fitted might be safe as ‘carpet fitters Glasgow’ attains just 10 monthly online searches. 

Meanwhile, London sees the second highest demand, with 2,010 monthly searches in total; the most popular service being loft conversions. London is renowned for its capacity to turn even the smallest spaces into property, which marries with our results that loft conversions are the capital’s most sought-after service. Our study found 600 searches a month for ‘loft conversion London’. 

Ten Cities With Highest Home Improvement Demand

The Best Areas For Home Improvement In 2021

Now we know which areas are likely experiencing the longest wait times for home improvements, it’s time to take a look at where is seeing the lowest demand. In these towns and cities, monthly searches are the lowest across the 47 areas we reviewed. 

Homeowners in Southend-On-Sea will likely see the shortest wait times for renovations, with just 90 monthly searches totalled from our data - 70 of which are for ‘builders Southend-On-Sea’. The home improvement itch doesn’t seem to have hit Stoke-On-Trent or Slough either, with just 130 and 240 monthly searches, respectively. 

Ten Cities With Lowest Home Improvement Demand

The UK’s Most Popular Home Improvement 

After reviewing the areas with the longest and shortest wait times for household refurbishments, we wanted to find out which services overall are the most sought after across the UK. 

We collated the number of monthly searches across all 47 towns and cities, as well as general searches for each service (e.g. ‘fitted wardrobes’) and ‘near me’ searches (e.g. ‘solar panels near me’) for overall UK figures. 

A new conservatory is the most in-demand renovation in the UK, totalling 87,420 searches, with the highest demand in Bristol. 

In second place, solar panels attain 64,490 monthly searches across the UK and are most popular in London. Securing the third spot are fitted wardrobes - with 50,780 searches a month, demand is high for this bedroom refurb. For homeowners looking for a new fitted wardrobe, you may be waiting the longest in Liverpool. 

Most Sought-After Home Improvements In The UK

1. Conservatory - 87,420 monthly searches
2. Solar Panels - 64,490 monthly searches
3. Fitted Wardrobes - 50,780 monthly searches
4. Double Glazing - 40,450 monthly searches
5. Builders - 36,740 monthly searches 
6. Loft Conversion - 35,690 monthly searches
7. Roofers - 34,310 monthly searches
8. Bathroom Fitters - 21,320 monthly searches
9. Kitchen Fitters - 17,140 monthly searches
10. Carpet Fitters - 15,550 monthly searches
11. Landscapers - 12,080 monthly searches
12. Joiners - 11,490 monthly searches