Spring has sprung and the reno boom is booming

Home renovations and DIY projects soared in the last year as our homes became our havens. Across the country, people have increasingly been on the lookout for ideas and inspiration and for great tradies to help them bring their plans for their dream home to life, with a simple mandate in many cases to just make better use of space. 

While demand for home improvements remained high during the pandemic, and arguably helped to keep the  Australian economy buoyant, the real reno boom is only just starting. 

Spring is traditionally the most popular time to renovate, accounting for almost 30 per cent of total jobs posted to our platform last year, with October, November and September 2020 the top-performing months respectively. 

This year, when we add in rising vaccination rates, an expected relaxation of restrictions, and increasing confidence in engaging safely with tradies, thanks to initiatives like our recent hipages COVID vaccination badge, we’re expecting a bigger reno boom than ever before.

Our data science team, led by my colleague @Chris Coulson, has crunched the numbers for our latest hipages quarterly Home Improvement Report and the results are in; Aussies are looking forward to having tradies back to operating at full capacity in their homes, and they intend to accelerate home improvements this Spring. 

 Winter saw home reno preparations kicking off in earnest, with a big uptick in demand for surveyors as homeowners focused on getting their plans for extensions and additions underway. Since September 2020 we’ve seen a 35 per cent jump in extension and addition job posts, as many Aussies look to expand the space they’re in, rather than buy a bigger home, amid a competitive housing market, and we’re seeing no signs of this demand abating.

And perhaps unsurprisingly, as we start to enjoy the warmer Spring weather and move outdoors (I reckon half my neighbourhood was picnicking in the local park this weekend!), we’re also focusing on making the most of our outdoor spaces at home. 

Pool maintenance, lawn and turf, garden maintenance and decking are all top categories for job posts so far this month. Last year, over one third of decking jobs took place in Spring, as families in particular focus on getting their  outdoor entertaining spaces ready to enjoy over summer.

Knowing how busy the season is set to become, I’d encourage everyone to start conversations with tradies now, with an aim to get ahead of the expected surge in demand  as restrictions lift. For those in New South Wales and Victoria looking for some extra peace of mind when it comes to COVID-safety, look out for our tradies who are displaying their hipages COVID vaccination badge on their profile. 

With over 1.5 million jobs posted on hipages in the 12 months to July 2021, and over 34,000 tradie members on our platform, we’re ready for the reno boom. Are you? 

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