Christmas Excavator Hire for Holiday DIY is in record demand!
The housing crisis and the DIY market
As 2022 draws to a close, we can cast our gaze back to a year of tumultuous change: from the booming post-pandemic economy, to the impact of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the innumerable political and economic adjustments that have taken place. This year has had a deep impact on people and industry, with housing and construction making headlines on a near-daily basis.
The year began marked by unprecedented housing demand. Two years of reduced construction output, coupled with postponed house purchases, saw housing prices pushed to an all-time high. The energy crisis and general inflation played their part, pushing up the costs of materials, deliveries, wages and everything in between.
As the curtain closes on 2022, the rise of interest rates in an attempt to curb inflation is starting to take its toll on the housing market. The end of the year is seeing an important cooling down of said market, with banks lowering their property valuations as they brace for an important slowdown.
The rise in interest rates has had a freezing effect on the property market. Vendors who fear huge mortgage payment hikes are resisting the urge to panic-sell. Others hesitate and postpone putting their properties on the market, as a desired sales price looms further on the horizon. First time buyers may encounter the frustration that banks will not lend enough money to follow through with a housing purchase. With house sales faltering, the DIY market is on the rise once again, with Christmas 2022 looking to be a historically busy period for home refurbishments.
The rise in DIY and residential construction projects
Interestingly enough, this is a prime time for residential refurbishments. Homeowners who had planned to sell up and move are now faced with the choice of staying put, risking a sale or renting out.
With more and more people deciding to ride out the storm, homeowners are looking to upgrade their living space to better fit their desires and expectations, to adapt it for rental or to improve sales prospects. The DIY market is booming, with demand for DIY digger hire reaching record highs.
What are the biggest demands in DIY in 2022/23?
Recent lockdowns still loom too close for comfort for many. Work from home is here to stay and homes have to be adapted to this. According to an August article by Rightmove, the most sought after features in 2022 are gardens and garden features, with outdoor offices seeing unprecedented demand and orangeries enjoying a stellar rise in popularity
Prospective buyers who were hoping to upgrade to a home with more space may have to wait out the storm. For many, making better use of the garden is a great option which quenches the need for additional useful space and adds value to their properties for a future sale or rental.
The base for your garden office or orangery
The first thing to ascertain is whether your new outdoor addition will require planning permission. Most outdoor offices, like sheds, do not have running water or sleeping quarters. They don’t need to be connected to mains water or drainage and mostly likely will not require planning permission, however if you are in doubt it doesn’t hurt to consult with your local council.
Orangeries and conservatories may require planning permission, but this will depend on a variety of factors including the size of the build and how much of your land it will take up. Under the government’s Permitted Development Rights you may find that the structure you would like to build falls within legal limitations and does not require town planning approval.
If you’re thinking of adding an extension to your home or a structure that will be connected to mains drainage, you will need to dig foundations. Outdoor offices can sit on paving or on level ground. In both cases, you will likely need to hire a mini digger for ground levelling, foundation digging and earth removal to create a base for your garden office.
Mini diggers are available in a variety of sizes. Micro diggers are the smallest available diggers, with weights starting at 08 tonnes. These machines are ideal for working in back gardens as their narrow dimensions allow them to pass easily through garden gates. If you are thinking of hiring a mini digger over Christmas, view MPH’s range of excavators available for hire in the North London area.
Remember that you will probably need to dispose of excess earth and may need to hire a skip for this purpose. In order to make light work of removing excess earth, hire a skip loading dumper. These nifty machines can sometimes be an afterthought, but they provide an ideal solution for moving large quantities of earth from your back garden to your skip, usually positions in your front garden or by the road.
Once the ground has been levelled or foundations have been dug, paving or construction can begin. There are a great many options for your finished structure: you may choose to build it yourself, hire professional builders or, in the case of an outdoor office, you may choose to have a prefabricated structure delivered.
Plan the digging or levelling work as early as possible in the Christmas break to give yourself plenty of time for the rest of the project.
Book your digger and dumper before the Christmas rush
As hectic as the run up to Christmas may be, the Christmas break always proves a popular time for DIYers to get stuck into some of those larger projects which prove a little too time consuming for finishing over a weekend. This is always a busy time for plant and tool hire firms, so it pays to think ahead and book your machines well in advance. Speak to Mr Plant Hire for Christmas excavator hire. Based in Enfield, MPH has an ample range of diggers and dumpers available for hire in the North London area. If you’re interested in excavator hire in Watford, Barnet, Finchley or surrounding areas, don’t hesitate to get in touch on 020 8351 3434. Mr Plant Hire has everything you need for your Christmas DIY projects.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/property-news/key-selling-points-homes-2022/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance