It’s almost renovation season, and Canadians want professionals

Renovation season is coming.

With spring just around the corner, it’s no surprise Canadians are closing in on renovation season. However, what does the average home renovation look like these days? With fewer Canadians learning trade skills and the housing market continuing to increase, there has been a recent initiative by homeowners and condo dwellers to stay where they are and renovate, despite lacking the skills required to do so.

“Renovating is a great way of updating your home to meet your changing lifestyle, but if the renovation is beyond your skill set, you should definitely hire a RenoMark renovator,” says Dave Wilkes, President and CEO of BILD.

While the DIY movement has taken the nation by storm, a common mistake is not realizing when it’s time to call it quits and hire an expert. Although it can be rewarding, it’s often better (and safer) for consumers to call a professional. Experts from this year’s Home Show: Home Improvement Edition know that there are specific jobs that home and condo owners should by no means attempt on their own. The most obvious being electrical work, plumbing work, anything structural and anything that involves dangerous tools. When done incorrectly, these jobs cause injuries and often require further renovations.

Invest a little and gain a lot. With housing prices as high as they are, it’s no wonder Canadians are so insistent on renovating to achieve the home of their dreams without looking for a new place to live. New data from SEMrush shows average monthly searches for “renovation contractor” were 4,280 per cent higher than searches for “DIY renovation” in 2019. It makes sense — cheap renovation hacks can be tempting, but most individuals lack the proper knowledge and training to pull them off successfully.

By creating a budget, hiring a professional and selecting the right rooms to remodel, you can get a great return on your investment. So which rooms are Canadians looking to hire contractors to make over the most? Unsurprisingly, it’s the room where we spend a lot of our time: the bathroom. Searches for “bathroom renos” make up more than double the average monthly searches for kitchen renovations. When you consider the amount of plumbing that can go wrong in a bathroom, it’s no wonder people are leaning towards the professionals to eliminate any risk.

After bathrooms and kitchens, Canadians are also searching for garage, backyard and closet renos. Whether it’s adding in a deck to extend your indoor living space to the outdoors or creating a walk-in closet to treat your clothes like royalty, contractors are the ones for the job and Canadians know it.

At this year’s Home Show: Home Improvement Edition, running from February 14–17 at the International Centre, there will be contractors and reno experts from a variety of different backgrounds leading workshops and will be available for networking and discussion.