Cheapest time of the year for home improvements
Written by
Robert Walton is a Senior Marketing Manager with many years of experience helping brands reach the right customers through clear, informative and straight-to-the-point comms. He's all about delivering top quality customer service and shouting about the great things we do here at Novuna. In his spare time, Robert dabbles with DIY and likes to write about his home improvement tips and tricks.
Tuesday 11th January 2022
UK homeowners up and down the country have spent billions of pounds (£110.3b) on home improvements during the pandemic with outhouses, home gyms and extensions being the most popular choices.
According to recent data, 5 million Brits redecorated rooms in their homes, 1.5 million built an outhouse and over a million built home-gyms and extensions. The same data also highlighted that Brits have spent an average of £2,011 per person on home refurbishments with the average property value increasing by 10.9%.
If you’re thinking about making some home improvements of your own this year, one of the easiest ways to save money is book in tradespeople at their quietest times of the year. Here at Novuna Personal Finance, we’ve put together this useful guide full of expert advice from Ideal Home, so you know when to get certain jobs done while saving some £££’s.
January
Job: Clear the garden
Usually done: March
Winter is the perfect (and cheapest) time to get your garden cleared. The cold weather will have caused the foliage to die back leaving you with less work requiring a smaller skip and resulting in a cheaper bill.
February
Job: Fit a new kitchen
Usually done: May/June
Most people want to give their kitchen a makeover in time for Christmas leaving the month of February pretty quiet for kitchen fitters.
Since they won't have many jobs lined up, this is the perfect time to book your renovation in and you might even be able to negotiate a bigger discount!
March
Job: Replace or repair windows
Usually done: September/October
Rather than leaving this job until autumn when you first start getting chilly, opt to get your windows sorted in the spring time
March is the ideal time to get your double glazing and frames replaced as this gives you plenty of time to compare quotes and choose your preferred contractor, rather than feeling pressured to go with whoever has availability. You might even score a discount if you ask!
April
Job: Sweep the chimney
Usually done: October/November
Chimney sweeper tend to be extremely busy between September and March so opting for a summer appointment when there's more availability in the quieter summer months and there’s more of an opportunity to negotiate rates.
Also, lighter, warmer, and drier conditions help when your sweep is examining the exterior chimney conditions.
May
Job: Clear guttering
Usually done: October
As tempting as it is to clear your gutters after all the leaves have fallen, waiting until the end of spring will allow the worst of the weather to pass so that you can complete this job safely.
It's also worth considering clearing your gutters at least twice a year to prevent excessive build up of debris and blockages.
June
Job: Fit a new floor
Usually done: September to December
Demand for flooring trades steps up from September as we move our focus from outdoor projects back indoors. June is therefore a great time to have new floorboards and carpets installed as everyone else will be more preoccupied with their gardens.
At the very least you’ll be able to cherry-pick who will fit your flooring and when, and you might be able to wangle a discount, to boot.
July
Job: Fit security systems
Usually done: October/November
We only start thinking about security lighting and alarms as the days get shorter but at that time of year brings bad weather making installing systems harder and more expensive.
With this in mind, getting the work done in summer is generally much cheaper.
August
Job: Replace the boiler
Usually done: October/November
During the summer, when our boilers aren’t working as hard and are therefore less likely to need running repairs. So if you’re looking to fix or replace a boiler you’ll find it far easier to get the appointment slot you want.
Also, we’d estimate that you can make a 10-15 per cent saving when the market is less competitive.
September
Job: Fit a new bathroom
Usually done: January/June/July
With the kids are back in school and people spent up after returning from their holidays, this makes it a great time to get your bathroom renovated.
According to industry experts, getting your bathroom fitted during the quieter months could save you up to 10%.
October
Job: Put up new fencing
Usually done: June to August
During the summer, your garden usually looks its best, so having fencers coming in and trampling down your flowerbeds isn’t ideal.
Get hard landscaping jobs done later when all the plants are dormant, and you might also find availability is higher and costs are lower.
November
Job: Paint rooms
Usually done: June
Summer isn’t a great time to get hold of a decorator, because they are usually busy, particularly with exterior painting jobs. You might think it’s a hassle to get the painters in just before Christmas, but a quick prep and two coats should take two days at most.
December
Job: Insulate the loft
Usually done: September
As tempting as it is to start this job once summer ends, holding out until Christmas will make this job easier and less expensive.
Your loft will be clear of decorations and an emptier space means a quicker and cheaper job!
Low-cost home improvement loan
If you’re planning to make some changes to your home this year, our low-cost home improvement loan can help you get them done quicker. You can borrow between £1,000 and £35,000 with competitive rates from as low as 7.4% APR Representative (£7,500-£25,000).
