Jonathan Rolande, a property valuer at House Buy, comments: “Due to the lockdown backlog and the Stamp Duty holiday, many more people than usual have recently moved to a new home. Some bought very unsuitable property, confident they could soon improve it to their own requirements.
“The shortage of labour and even materials (which have increased in price) has blocked this for many. A surge in demand has led to many trades increasing their prices and some are booked completely in 2022.”
Scotland’s cities appear to have the least amount of tradespeople to meet the home improvement demand according to research.
Analysis of data by sliding door wardrobe company Spaceslide found that Glasgow has the least amount of tradespeople compared to the monthly searches for home improvement services.
Glasgow took first place with 17.97 monthly searches for every one tradesperson, followed by Edinburgh with 14.32 and Aberdeen with 10.17 meaning these cities could see the longest wait times across the UK.
Those in cities with the least amount of tradespeople could face a longer waiting time meaning homeowners are often turning to their own DIY skills.
Jonathan concludes: “To speed the process, owners are offering higher rates to builders or calling in favours from friends and family, especially for the more 'DIY friendly' tasks such as painting and decorating.
“Sites such as YouTube and TikTok have seen a spike in traffic from people looking for tips and 'how to' guides as they begin to consider doing more themselves.”
