Project leads for home professionals were up by 80% in July 2020 compared with the previous year on Houzz.
During July, custom cabinetry enquiries tripled – up 263% compared with 2019. General enquires for kitchens and bathrooms were also up by 62% and 55% respectively.
There was a surge in home extension searches and leads with those results quadrupled to be up 331%. General home remodelling was up by 26% compared with 2019.
Ines Cid, managing director for Houzz UK and Ireland, said: “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.
“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.”
In terms of location, July in Cheshire and Greater Manchester had a 243% increase for home professionals compared with 2019. With other areas seeing increases as well – Essex, Hertfordshire and Greater London saw 240%, 132% and 43% respectively.
Home builders and architects also experienced an increase in demand in July, compared with 2019 – they were up 129% and 113% respectively.