Coronavirus: 10 ways to improve your home during lockdown

With home improvements in full swing across the country, OnBuy.com asked 4,106 Brits about their DIY activity, including what projects they’re completing. 

The research found that more than half (55%) are painting walls, a third (32%) are landscaping their garden, and 13% are upcycling furniture. In addition, two thirds (64%) of respondents said they had put off their DIY project for more than six months. 

In light of the results, the firm teamed up with its DIY experts to reveal the top DIY hacks homeowners can complete to add value to their property.

The professionals advised that on average the below DIY improvements can add up to £6,000 to the value of a property.

The top 10 DIY hacks according to their experts are:

1. Slap a fresh coat of paint on the walls and front door - Refreshing the interior walls of a house is one of the most effective, yet simple things homeowners can do and will make the property look and feel brand new. Opt for neutral shades that can be easily moulded to fit with a homeowner’s tastes. As the first part of the house a prospective buyer sees, the front door should also be regularly repainted, with current trends favouring a pop of colour, like red or dark green and blue. 

1. Update the colour of interior and exterior windowsills in neutral colours - Many homes still display wooden or stone exterior windowsills that are exposed to the elements. A fresh coat of paint in muted tones will tidy up the aesthetic of both the indoor and outdoor window fixtures.

1. Update kitchen cupboard door handles - Kitchen trends change often, but a simple hack that can give a dated kitchen an instant facelift is changing the unit handles. Current interior trends show bright and colourful handles against neutral cupboards that offer a bit of personality in a modern setting. 

1. Create smart storage solutions and declutter - Clutter can make an otherwise pleasant space look very unappealing, and is easily solved with some clever storage systems. Shelves can fill empty wall space and free up tabletops, which will in turn make rooms appear larger. 

1. Paint dark kitchen units with light neutral colours that create space - Go back twenty years and dark wooden kitchen units were the ‘must have’ trend. Nowadays the fashion has changed to cupboards in neutral light colours that open up a room and create space, which can easily be achieved with some wood paint and a brush. 

1. Update bathroom and kitchen tiles with modern patterns - Retiling a bathroom and kitchen is an expensive project, which often requires professional help. However, like with painting walls and cupboards, tiles can also be painted with specialist paint. In addition, stick-on tile stencils in trendy patterns are now available and can transform an otherwise boring room into a stylish up-to-date space. 

1. Jet wash the garden patio - It is a simple task but can make a front and back garden space look so much more presentable. Patios that have been jet washed will normally appear three times lighter in colour, which in turn makes the area look bigger and brighter. 

1. Add low-maintenance features to the garden - Most prospective buyers nowadays are looking for a tidy outdoor space that requires little maintenance. Turning soil flower beds into wood chip beds and replacing perimeter grass areas with pebbles will help transform a garden into an attractive space that doesn’t need constant upkeep. 

1. Update soft window furnishings - Unless a room has an exceptionally large window and high ceiling, large heavy curtains can make a room feel small and claustrophobic. Instead the aesthetic has changed to more contemporary window furnishings, like Venetian and Roman blinds that take up little space. 

1. Remove wallpaper and paint instead - Although a feature wall with wallpaper was all the rage fifteen years ago, modern aesthetics has changed to favour painted feature walls, mostly because wallpaper is a hassle to apply and strip. Bold colours on one wall in a bedroom or living room adds personality with minimal effort.

Google Trends data shows that searches for ‘DIY’ peaked between the 12th and 18th April and searches for ‘wall paint’ experienced a huge surge in interest from March 21st and peaked in popularity on the 18th of April.

According to the data, bedrooms appear to be the most popular room in British homes to improve during the lockdown, followed by living rooms, kitchens and then bathrooms. 

Cas Paton, founder and CEO of OnBuy said: “The lockdown period seems to have given British homeowners the opportunity to enhance their properties, which might be down to the time they now have available, or the fact they’re spending a lot more time in their house and can’t stand to not do a few home improvements! Either way it’s a productive way to spend the day and can result in a significant increase in the value of a property. 

“From speaking with our DIY experts, it seems that the majority of the hacks are all about updating and refining the ‘look’ of a home. None of them require a particular skill, any training or professional equipment, which is great, and all can be easily achieved with a bit of time and elbow grease. I expect everyone will be inviting their friends and families over once social distancing measures are eased, not just to see them but to show off their new and improved home!” 

* Have you been improving your home during lockdown? Get in touch by emailing Simone.okane@newsquest.co.uk all your pictures of your lockdown transformation.