Home Bars Climb Homeowners’ Wish List

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Forget a new kitchen, re-painting or a loft conversion, what property owners want these days is a home bar.

According to a study by Rated People, one in 13 households in the UK intend to create a home bar this year, spending an average of £13,939 to do so.

This is larger than the amount they have allocated for a new kitchen (£12,057), a home gym (£13,574) or porch (£11,252), Homes and Gardens revealed.

Adrienne Minster, chief executive of Rated People, said this is down to the fact that “our priorities are shifting”.

“Homeowners [want] to use more of their money on creating new spaces for at-home socialising instead of spending it on staples like a new kitchen,” she stated, adding: “2022 is definitely the year of the home bar.”

There are many ways to build a bar at home, such as keeping it in a concealed floor-to-ceiling cupboard with bi-fold doors, so you can hide it away during the day and open it at night. Alternatively, you could fit it in an awkward space, such as a niche, adding character to the bar with a metallic-effect backsplash.

Some homeowners might prefer to build a garden bar, maximising use of the outdoors and creating a sociable space for friends and family.    

The Improvement Trends Report 2022 also revealed building an extension was the most popular thing for homeowners to do this year, at an average cost of £18,580.

If you’re interested in a house extension or other home renovation projects, get in touch with us.

Why Now Is The Time For A New Driveway

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Many a household will be looking at their driveway in the spring and think it has seen better days. Over time the wear and tear of heavy rain, freeze-thaw, cars rolling over it and other bumps and impacts will take its toll.

Now is certainly a good time to be looking at having the work done. Late spring is without doubt the most optimal period to carry out the work of driveway repairs or even getting a whole new driveway fitted.

Firstly, this means you will be starting after the cold of winter and the frosts of early spring have come and gone. There will be no freeze-thaw to disrupt the work and while there are remote mountainous places that can suffer unseasonal cold snaps, that’s not something any Telford driveway company can report having had to deal with!

Secondly, it also means that you are getting the work done during warm, sunny weather that ensures the new driveway is filly established well before the cold weather returns in the latter part of the year.

In addition, because the weather is warmer, everything should dry a bit faster too, making the whole process of getting the lovely new driveway in place much faster. 

At the same time, delays can happen. But if you start on the project earlier in the year, this allows more times for these to be resolved, which means there is not likely to be any panic that summer is ending and the new driveway isn’t ready yet.

Also, there is a practical benefit of adding yourself to the list of jobs for your driveway contractor. It means you get ahead in the queue before the summer kicks in and things get really busy, which means you aren’t trying t get the work done at the same time as nearly everyone else.

Finally, by getting the work out of the way you may find there is plenty of time to enjoy outdoor summer activities like barbecues or sitting in the garden without any ongoing work taking place around you.

That’s why now is a great time to – pardon the pun – spring into action.