2025: A Year of Booming Home Makeovers in the UK 🏡
A significant number of UK property owners took on home renovation projects in 2024, driving expenditure to an all-time high.
Get ready to roll up your sleeves, folks! Over half of UK homeowners went all-in on house transformations in 2025, stating their cases proudly in the 2026 UK Houzz & Home Renovation Trends Report.
In the midst of economic hiccups, the report reveals a thriving renovation scene driven by older housing stock and a bedroom-eyed focus on long-term living enhancements.
With a staggering 26% surge in median renovation spending compared to the previous year, it's safe to say that UK homeowners showed no signs of hits-the-brake, readjusting the rearview mirror.
Ageing Houses, Fresh Makeovers 🏠
Renovation activity soared to 51% in 2025, up from its 2024 counterpart of 48%. As the British housing stock tilted further towards the aged, most homeowners living in 1940s-era houses or older opted for crucial upgrades in heating (43%), plumbing (42%), and electrics (39%).
The pandemic-induced drain on home improvement starters finally released, as nearly one-third of homeowners admitted they'd been holding out due to a paucity of funds (36%) or time (33%).
Astonishingly, a whopping 61% of renovators have plans to bunker down for over a decade, demonstrating their ironclad commitment to long-term living.
Take a Peek at the Rebudgeted Purse Strings 💰
Even as renovation costs steadily inched northward, some astute saving moves kept the home improvement party going. Overtly cautious of interest rate fluctuations, the use of credit cards saw a slip of 5 percentage points to a mere 13%. Gifts or inheritances as funding sources also ticked up from 9% to 12%.
Despite the array of lending options, 83% of homeowners doubled down on dipping into their piggy banks, as savings remained the primary funding source.
The Pros Know Best 🔧
Professional services reigned supreme in transforming those crumbling walls and outdated kitchens. 94% of homeowners invited pros to the party, with electricians (59%) and plumbers (56%) being the most frequent additions to the guest list.
A rising demand for cabinetry specialists (27%, up 8 percentage points) ensued, as did a spike in hiring painters, roofers, and architects - with each profession experiencing a 5-point increase in "please make an appearance" invites.
What's Next on the Horizon? ⏩
The craving for reinventing homes lingered into the 2026 horizon, with 60% of homeowners twitching to decorate and 49% to renovate, numbers that mirrored last year's predictions to a T.
The allure of outdoor spaces continued to worm its way into every homeowner's green-thumbed heart, with half of homeowners opting for garden and exterior facelifts.
From glamming up garden beds and borders (29%) to casting a warm glow with lighting (23%) and ensuring safety with security systems (16%), evolutionary extensions such as sheds (17%), pergolas (11%), and decking (9%) caught everyone's eye.
Entrances also underwent some notable makeovers, with more homeowners throwing a decorative (32%) or renovation (24%) party for their entranceways when compared to 2023 statistics. And that's a wrap, folks! With nearly half of homeowners renovating and more planning to join the party in 2026, it looks like Britain is headed for a continued boom in making their houses buzzier, better, and brighter places to live.
So, are you ready to dive headfirst into transforming your living space? Now's the perfect time to get started!
- In 2025, over half of UK homeowners undertook house transformations, as revealed in the 2026 UK Houzz & Home Renovation Trends Report.
- As the British housing stock aged, most homeowners living in 1940s-era houses or older opted for essential upgrades in heating, plumbing, and electrics.
- Despite a surge in median renovation spending, UK homeowners showed no signs of hitting the brakes, with 61% planning to live in their renovated homes for over a decade.
- Savvy homeowners kept the home improvement party going by overtly avoiding credit cards and relying on savings as the primary funding source, while the use of gifts or inheritances as funding sources also increased.
- Professional services were in high demand during renovations, with electricians and plumbers being the most frequent additions to the guest list, and a 5-point increase in the number of architects hired.
- The allure of outdoor spaces remained, with half of homeowners opting for garden and exterior facelifts, including enhancements like lighting, security systems, and home extension projects like sheds, pergolas, and decking.
- Entrances also underwent notable makeovers, with more homeowners renovating or decorating their entranceways compared to 2023 statistics.
- With nearly half of homeowners renovating and more planning to join the party in 2026, it appears Britain is headed for a continued boom in making their houses buzzier, better, and brighter places to live, so now's the perfect time to start transforming your living space.
