Houzz Inc. the leading platform for home renovation and design, today announced an 80 percent increase in UK project leads for home professionals during the month of July, as compared with the same period in 2019. Professionals working on outdoor spaces have seen an increase in demand, with July searches for landscape architects and landscape contractors up 127 percent each, compared with the same period a year prior. Home builders and architects also experienced an increase in demand during the month of July, compared with 2019 (129 and 113 percent, respectively).
In Cheshire and Greater Manchester, home professionals saw a 243 percent increase in project leads during July, compared to the same period last year. Other counties that experienced significant year over year growth in demand for home professionals include Essex, Hertfordshire and Greater London (240, 132 and 43, respectively). Within Greater London, the metro areas that saw the highest increase in demand include the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow and Barnet and Camden (up by 166 and 80 percent, respectively).
Insights on the types of projects homeowners pursued in July speaks to a need for more usable space inside and outside the home. Home extension projects more than quadrupled (up 331 percent), custom cabinetry enquiries tripled (up 263 percent), garden design projects more than doubled (114%) and interest in home remodelling grew by 26 percent, compared with the same period in 2019. Homeowners are also improving the design of their kitchens and bathrooms, with demand for these services up by 62 and 55 percent.
“There is an incredible rise in consumer interest for home improvement projects across the country, and people are coming to Houzz to find professionals for major projects such as home extensions and kitchen renovations, as well as for more modest outdoor improvements,” said Ines Cid, Managing Director for Houzz UK & Ireland. “Over the past year we’ve made many significant additions and improvements to how our platform helps homeowners find and connect with the right professional for their project — enabling people to directly schedule video meetings with pros through Houzz Pro is just one example — and we’re really seeing the impact of those investments in the number and quality of connections we’re making.”
Houzz has more than 2.5 million active home renovation and design professionals around the world in more than 65 categories, including architects, interior designers, contractors and landscape professionals, on the platform. Homeowners who are looking to begin a new project can find home professionals through the Houzz Pro directory, browse their projects, ask questions about their work and read client reviews. For home professionals using the Houzz Pro business management and marketing solution, homeowners can view the pros’ availability and book an initial meeting directly.
Launched in June 2020, Houzz Pro helps home professionals run an efficient, profitable business and makes it easy for them to reach new customers, all while delivering a standout client experience. Subscriptions include premium profile features, website building services, and lead and business management tools. Pros can manage their businesses on the go with the Houzz Pro app, available on iOS and Android devices.
Designers, builders, landscape architects and other home professionals can learn more about Houzz Pro and get started at houzz.co.uk/pro.
