Why go to all the hassle of moving when you could simply stay put and improve?
Simon Cunnington, assistant manager at long-established business Andrew & Co Spalding Ltd, says internal decoration and outdoor decking are the two key things people are currently doing to improve their homes.
What’s more, people are doing the clever thing and, where they don’t want to fork out for expensive high-end paints, they are using Andrew’s matching service to find a cheaper, but good quality, equivalent.
Simon said: “Neutral colours are popular – off-white, cream and magnolia. They want the cheaper paint so we do a matching service for them. We have a machine that will make up an equivalent colour and generally we can get close. There will be a slight difference, but to all intents and purposes it’s the same.
“With paint you do pay for what you get, but they can buy Dulux, Crown and Johnstone’s here, and they are all good quality.”
People are also using garden decking to improve the appearance of their gardens – creating an attractive seating or barbecue area in the process.
This winter has been so mild so far that Simon says they have sold a lot of decking already this year.
The store sells all the materials required for do-it-yourself decking, from joists that go underneath to the wooden decking itself.
Simon adds: “We can work out what is required for a given area and cut to size.
“It’s a fairly easy job and doesn’t take a lot of skills.”
However, if homeowners don’t feel confident enough to tackle something like garden decking, Simon says Andrew’s has a list of tradesmen they can recommend for the job instead.