More than 34% are prepared to take on a major self-build project to create a property for themselves or a family member to live in, or to sell, according to the results of a new survey by specialist lender Together.
Of those who would attempt a self-build, 14% said they would do so to create a permanent home for a family member, 10% would build a house they would sell and 8% would move in themselves.
The survey results were published after housing secretary Robert Jenrick announced details of the government’s new Help to Build Scheme, designed to make it easier and more affordable for people to build their own home.
Scott Clay, distribution development manager at Together, said: “We’re finally seeing the end of more than a year of lockdown and our survey highlights homeowners’ ambitions as we begin to return to a different kind of normality.
“People are thinking more creatively about how they could use their outside space, whether that is providing a standalone home office, a home for themselves to live or sell, or a specially-designed home for elderly or disabled relatives.
“It’s important that homeowners have enough space and get any required building consent, including planning permission, before they take on a self-build. They will also need a lot of planning, determination, and the right finance in place before they start their project.”
The survey also found that more than a quarter (26%) would, with the right planning permissions and space, install a standalone ‘granny annexe’ to use when friends or family visit, as extended families look for ways to live closer together after being kept apart during the pandemic.
One in ten (10%) would take advantage of the increased popularity of staycations by renting one out as a short-term holiday let though online lettings such as Airbnb, and 8% would let long-term.
The most popular big-ticket items on people’s shopping lists were a summerhouse or workshop with a fifth (20%) of respondents saying they’d install these to create their dream garden.
