The impact of another national lockdown may explain why 6% hope to create a garden annexe in their home this year
Thousands have made the decision to improve rather than move as latest figure show that, despite the first lockdown halting planning and building, UK councils still received nearly 9,000 planning applications for garden annexes in 2019/20.
Newly released data from Churchill Home Insurance has calculated that this equates to over one every hour or 25 per day. This was a fall of just 11% compared to two years previously and highlights how popular these structures are, as this timeframe includes the first lockdown period when building work ground to a halt.
The impact of another national lockdown, with many more people working from home, and children once again needing to be homeschooled, may explain why one in 18 households (6%) hope to create a garden annexe in their home this year.
With the average annexe costing just under £7,000 to convert or build, homeowners could see a significant return on investment, both in terms of space and value. Separate research by the insurer found they can add as much as £91,000 onto the price of a property, as well as around 20% to the overall square footage. Based on an analysis of average property prices and floor space, this means that a garden annexe is worth approximately £2,360 per square metre.
Half of those that already have an annexe, or are currently planning to build one, say that the pandemic and lockdown restrictions have had an impact on their plans for this. The main three reasons were due to people wanting other family members to move in to help with childcare (17%), needing a space for homeschooling (16%) or because they wanted other family members to move in to become part of the same household (16%).
Annexes can be used for multiple purposes, another reason why they are so popular with families. While the main uses are as breakout spaces (28%) and living areas for children (16%) and parents (15%), they are also used as a leisure space (13 per cent) such as a bar, and a living area for grandparents (10%).
