INDUSTRY NEWS
CLADDING IS KING
Colin St John , Freefoam Commercial Director , says cladding is the one to watch this Spring .
According to recent research by Rated People , Cladding is King when it comes to Home Improvement . That trend had already been in play for a couple of years and was certainly accelerated by the impact of Covid lockdowns and the shift to working from home creating the race for space through extensions , garden rooms and Home offices .
The report analyses 1.1 million actual home improvement jobs posted on the Rated People website last year compared to 2021 . It also includes the results of a nationally representative survey of 2,003 homeowners and a separate survey of 315 UK based tradespeople . By any measure , that ’ s as authoritative as it gets . Among the Top 20 , Door replacement came in at No 13 with strong + 29 % growth over the previous year . Electric car charging point installation was 6th with even stronger + 169 % growth , while way out in front at No 1 , Cladding grew by a stonking + 743 %.
This was certainly confirmed by our own experience as demand for our cladding ranges has soared in the last two years . Cladding is the one to watch .
As we move into 2023 research suggests that the demand for smaller repairs and maintenance work may get kicked into the long grass this year . The appetite for transformational Home Improvement products will continue .
SO WHAT IS BEHIND THIS ONGOING TREND ? Essentially , the report finds that as the pandemic effect comes to an end and the housing market calms down , many homeowners ’ priorities have shifted from maximising space to optimising budgets to mitigate the effects of the cost of living crisis . However , it is reported that one in six homeowners intend to improve their existing home , and one in seven homeowners , who missed out on buying their ‘ ideal ’ home last year , are looking at purchasing a property with a renovation project instead .
So whether they are improving not moving , or creating their ideal home instead of buying , it will result in more opportunities for manufacturers and more work for tradespeople in the home improvement market . And Freefoam believes that Cladding is the ideal transformation product .
Colin St John Freefoam Commercial Director explained : “ We ’ ve always had a traditional shiplap cladding board as part of our core fascia and gutter range in the UK . Looking at trends in Europe we could see that a retrofit cladding product was the next big thing and over the years have successfully developed a range of Claddings for the continental European markets .
“ And with the growing trend in the UK towards replacing old , cracked render , or tired hanging-tiles PVC cladding has become the ultimate visual make over , offering a quick fix transformative solution . Benefiting from long life , low maintenance credentials , PVC cladding is a cost efficient choice , allowing homeowners to maximise the investment potential and add value to a property .
“ Freefoam has developed and manufactures an extensive range of attractive cladding products , maintaining our tradition of providing homeowners with choice , and giving our installers and stockists the opportunity to win business .”
www . freefoam . com
8 MAY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM