New Research Shows Where The Biggest Opportunities Are For Tradespeople In 2022

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  Posted by: electime      18th May 2022

Increased demand for home office

Rated People reveals where demand is increasing the most and how tradespeople can capitalise on high demand whilst future-proofing their businesses for years ahead

  • Rated People analysed over 800,000 home improvement jobs on its platform to create the 2022 Trends Report which uncovers this year’s opportunity hotspots for tradespeople
  • Driveway pavers have seen the biggest increase in demand of all trades over the past year, followed by painters, craftspeople, bathroom fitters and builders
  • The top five places where demand rose the most are Llandrindod Wells (+131 per cent), Dumfries and Galloway (+86 per cent), Llandudno (+76 per cent), Exeter (+71 per cent) and Harrogate (+68 per cent)
  • One in three trades businesses are improving their website and social channels this year to capitalise on booming demand and one in four are expanding to offer more services

Last year saw an unprecedented rise in demand for home improvement – up by 32 per centin just 12 months, and new data from the find-a-tradesperson platform, Rated People now reveals where the biggest opportunities are for tradespeople in 2022.

Uniquely placed with its own marketplace data, the findings are taken from the 2022 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report where Rated People analysed more than 800,000 home improvement jobs on its platform posted by homeowners around the UK, in order to reveal which trades, and which towns and cities are seeing the biggest increases in demand.

The trades that had the biggest spikes in demand

Requests for driveway pavers shot up by 73 per cent in just 12 months, painters and decorators had 61 per cent more enquiries from homeowners when compared to the year before, and demand for traditional craftspeople increased by 53 per cent in 2021.

Bathroom fitters, builders, stoneworkers, plasterers, kitchen specialists, roofers and cleaners also made the top 10 list of trades that have seen the biggest boom in demand.

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

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

The places around the UK where demand increased the most

Llandrindod Wells in Wales saw demand increase by 131 per cent in 2021 – the biggest rise in the whole of the UK, and two other places in Wales also make the top 10 – third place Llandudno saw demand go up by 76 per cent and demand increased by 66 per cent in seventh place Swansea.

Many coastal areas feature in the top 10 towns and cities that have seen demand increase the most, 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.

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

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

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How tradespeople can capitalise on surging demand

The home improvement boom of 2021 doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, as 86 per cent 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.

Almost half of UK tradespeople (45 per cent) say they’re investing in new tools and vehicles this year, and many are also focussing on marketing and promotion – one in three (30 per cent) are improving their website and social channels and one in four (27 per cent) are investing in marketing to attract new business.

How tradespeople are adapting their business in 2022:

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

The most in-demand home improvement jobs

More than one in three homeowners (38 per cent) want to revitalise their homes with a lick of paint this year. One in five (21 per cent) are keen to have a new carpet and just under 20 per cent 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 includes 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 per cent (of UK homeowners want to do this this year)
  2. New carpet – 21 per cent
  3. Garden landscaping – 19 per cent
  4. New bathroom – 14 per cent
  5. New wooden flooring – 12 per cent
  6. New kitchen – 11 per cent
  7. Tiling – 11 per cent
  8. New windows – 11 per cent
  9. Creating multifunctional spaces – 11 per cent
  10. Building an outdoor entertaining area – 9 per cent
  11. New roof – 8 per cent
  12. Creating a home bar – 7 per cent
  13. Adding an extension – 7 per cent
  14. Loft conversion – 7 per cent
  15. Adding a garden room – 7 per cent

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 2022. In fact, four of the top five improvements that homeowners want to spend the most money on are all around space optimisation.

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

Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People commented: 

“The pandemic brought about lots of challenges for tradespeople to navigate, but it’s also given rise to a huge increase in demand for their services as more people want to adapt the homes that they’re now spending so much more time in.

More homeowners than ever are looking for tradespeople and we want to help trades across the UK make the most of this time for their business success. So, if you’re looking for ways to attract more customers, head to Rated People to find out more.”

To see the full research and the latest edition of the Home Improvement Trends Report, visit: https://www.ratedpeople.com/blog/home-improvement-trends-report