Getting the basics right when planning home improvements

During April 2024, CIOB surveyed 2000 homeowners planning a home improvement project in the next 12 months. Our objective was to get a feel for the current mood among UK homeowners and to understand the support they need. 

Unsurprisingly, CIOB discovered that the current cost-of-living crisis had 77% of homeowner respondents worried. The groups most concerned were women (81%), people aged 25-34 (88%), and people living in Northern Ireland (84%).

Signing contracts

One of the surest ways to avoid unforeseen costs on a construction project - one of the biggest worries - is to agree a written contract with your builders and tradespeople upfront. 

Well-written contracts do much more than fix prices. They also set down in black and white what the contractor is to do for that price, including the quality and materials expected and in what timeframe. This helps you to avoid arguments and delays later when the project is underway and circumstances might change.

Although 87% of our survey respondents agreed that signing a written contract was important, only 52% of them thought that it was “essential”. That number dropped to 41% in Northern Ireland and to just 33% among 18-24-year-olds. It’s clear that homeowners are leaving themselves unnecessarily exposed.

Reasons for building

Among their top three reasons for starting their project, our survey respondents most often selected ‘improving the look of my home’ (63%). 

Perhaps surprisingly when the UK’s housing market is so heavily financialised, adding ‘long-term economic value’ was selected among the top three reasons by just 35% of respondents. 

The next four most frequently selected reasons were, in order, “reconfiguring existing space for lifestyle reasons” (31%), “making my home more energy-efficient” (29%), “reducing maintenance costs” (24%), and “reducing running costs” (23%).

Assuring quality: choosing a builder

The cost of home improvement projects can range just a few hundred pounds for a small repair project, to several hundred thousand pounds for a new extension or loft conversion. Regardless of the project’s size or complexity, though, it’s fair to say that the quality of workmanship always matters. 

Of course, this is hard to assess before the project has started onsite, which leaves homeowners wondering how best to maximise their chances of hiring a contractor that will deliver the desired quality.

Choosing a builder

CIOB asked its survey respondents what they thought were the most important factors in deciding on a builder. The tactic most often selected was to seek recommendations from friends and family - chosen by 43%. There were significant differences across age groups, though. Whereas 48% of 25-34-year-olds selected it, that number dropped to just 26% among 18-24-year-olds. 

The next most often selected tactics were if the respondents had worked with them before (chosen by 33%) and if the respondents had robust evidence - in references, for example - of the contractor’s quality (31%).

Interestingly, the tactic most often selected by people in Greater London was to check that the builder held relevant certifications, qualifications and professional memberships (such as CIOB membership). The next two tactics most often selected by people in Greater London were affordability and a high online rating. 

Overall, this part of the survey confirmed that people are, broadly, making good use of the range of tactics for filtering for quality. Needless to say, since there’s good reason to employ multiple tactics, CIOB recommends using them all - including, of course, consulting its own register of Chartered Companies and Consultants. 

Securing quotations

Finally, the survey investigated the way in which respondents secured quotations from their contractors. The answer chosen by the most people (46%) was that they simply talked the project through with builders who then quoted a price in response. 

This approach is fine for small, simple jobs but is likely to be inadequate for anything more involved. The trouble is that you have no record of exactly what you asked them to quote for, making it hard to compare quotes and providing shaky grounds for agreeing the job. 

A much safer approach - selected by just 17% of our respondents - is to provide contractors with detailed drawings and information about your project. An even safer bet - chosen by just 8% of respondents - is to appoint an architect to prepare a formal tender package. 

Good advice

Zhuzhing up your home is an exciting but daunting prospect. With billions of pounds spent on it per annum across the country and amid persistent complaints about the quality of building work, good advice could not be more important - especially during the current cost-of-living crisis. 

For more comprehensive guidance on how to get the best from your experience of building work, read our blogs on the CIOB’s homeowner client pages.