The top 3 DIY projects in the UK and the best cities to find supplies to do them

The top 3 DIY projects in the UK

With the recent changes to employment habits, many people have begun to work from home. This has led to a surge in home improvements and with these updates there’s been an increase in DIY projects.

Home bar

The garden bar boom

With the restrictions in the UK in place over the last year and more, many people found a new passion for their gardens, with some even getting around to installing their own personal garden bars! With pubs closed and families stuck at home, the bar boom sky-rocketed with over 3,600 monthly searches for ‘Garden Bars’ in London alone!

From converting your old shed into your own personal gin club, to fully installing your own keg machine with taps, there are countless ways to add your own garden bar both in miniature and larger forms! So if you’re looking to get yourself your own bar set up, we recommend you jump on this DIY trend and give it a go yourself!

seating & low tables made from wood pallets

Popular pallet furniture

With the recent COP26, green issues have become more important than ever. One of the latest trends is pallet furniture. Whether you’re sprucing up your garden with a bench set and table, or making yourself an outdoor bar and stools, pallet furniture allows you to make rustic looking furniture at a fraction of the cost. You can pick up pallets from as little as £1.99 each online, and some shipping companies or warehouses give them away for free!

After getting your hands on the main construction supplies, all you really need is the tools; some paint or gloss and some nails! If you want to take it a step further, American artist, Kat Scott, has incorporated the use of pallets into her art, with her pallet mosaic pieces!

Wall rustic wood panelling

Wonderful wall panelling

According to the latest figures, the most popular and Googled DIY trend is wall panelling! Wall panelling is the act of putting up panels on one or more of a room’s interior walls to add a physical structure or effect. This is first noted to originate in the late 15th century and became a popular trend in the 16th & 17th centuries. Recently, it has seen an increase in popularity as it can add a classic and expensive look to any room or house.

This simple and uncomplicated method allows you to change a room’s entire look. So whether you’re looking to add a classy look to your room, or hoping to modernise it and give it a more structured look, wall panelling is the way to go.

Hardware store graph

Best DIY cities

If one of these trends catches your fancy, or if you’re interested in doing a completely different project then you’ll need to know the best places to shop for supplies!

According to the latest figures the best place to get into DIY is in the capital itself. In London you are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding a large DIY store, with 19 to choose from. Comparatively in the North, the best city to find a big DIY store is Manchester with 8, whilst in Scotland both Glasgow and Edinburgh have 4 each, and in Northern Ireland, Belfast has 5.*

In stark contrast, over the West Midlands, Birmingham has 8 large hardware stores, ranking it joint 2nd with Manchester in terms of number of stores. However, Birmingham also holds the highest number of registered tradespeople with nearly 4,500 according to the latest figures.

Hire Station undertook a recent study that looked at the most DIY cities in the UK and even developed their own scoring system to calculate which city really is the most DIY city.

Hire Station studied the top 14 most populated metropolitan areas and looked at the cities with the greatest number of tradesmen, which cities have the most big DIY stores and which cities searched the most for DIY Trends.

If these trends have inspired you to start your own DIY project like wall panelling or furniture making, make sure you feel confident in your ability, and if you find yourself uncomfortable with or unsure of the work, we recommend you hire a professional to help you – especially when undertaking tasks that may compromise your health & safety if done improperly.

**These figures are according to Hire Station’s latest study.

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