Demand for home improvements was off the scale in 2021 as 49 per cent of British homeowners found some way to give their homes a facelift. 

Recent analysis carried by Rated People showed that, since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, demand for home improvements soared by 50%. There are no signs of things slowing down either, with over eight in ten tradespeople gearing up for another ‘very busy’ year. 

While that’s good news for the tradies, the surge in demand, coupled with Covid challenges and material shortages, has resulted in price hikes for customers. 

In more detail 

Data unearthed from the 2022 Rated individuals Home Improvement Trends Report revealed that, despite suppliers’ best efforts, 89% of tradespeople faced price increases on materials last year. 

They were forced to pass these costs onto customers, resulting in the average cost of home improvements going up by 15%.

One in five workers upped their prices by up to 20%, while a small minority even charged 50% more than usual. 

Will rising costs continue? 

In short, yes. 

To give you an idea, experts have said that a full-scale bathroom renovation in 2022 will cost homeowners an average of £5,726. That’s 22% more than in 2021, when similar works would have amounted to around £4,700, and 40% up on 2020. 

With that in mind, 90% of tradespeople say they’ll have to up their rates this year to cope with the inflation. They include builders, heating engineers, plasters and carpenters. 

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. You can rest assured that we at Stax are doing all we can to keep prices on materials as low as possible in spite of the difficult economic situation our country faces.