Summer’s finally here in London, and you know what that means for us at DK Home Refurbishments? Our phones haven’t stopped ringing. Everyone wants to get their home projects sorted while the weather’s decent and the days are long. After 25+ years working across North London, Northwest London, Central London and west London, we’ve got a pretty good handle on what homeowners are asking for these days.
Why Summer Works for Renovations
Look, we’ve done renovations in every season, and summer just makes sense. The light’s better, which means our lads can work longer hours without squinting. Rain doesn’t stop play as much, and let’s be honest, nobody wants builders tramping mud through their house when it’s bucketing down outside. Plus, when we’re ripping out your kitchen, at least you can have a barbecue in the garden instead of surviving on takeaways for weeks.
Everyone’s Going Green These Days
The biggest change we’ve seen lately? People actually care about the environment now. Not just lip service either. We’re getting serious requests for proper insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels. Last month, we did a gorgeous Victorian terrace where the owners wanted everything sustainable. Bamboo floors, recycled glass worktops, paints that don’t gas off nasty chemicals. Cost them a bit more upfront, but their energy bills have practically disappeared.
It’s not just about saving the planet though. These eco materials often look fantastic. That bamboo flooring? Tough as old boots and looks way better than the cheap laminate everyone was obsessing over five years ago.
The Kitchen Revolution Continues
Kitchens are still where people spend their money, but they’re getting smarter about it. Everyone wants those big glass doors that fold back completely, turning the kitchen into part of the garden. We’ve done loads of these in areas where every square foot costs a fortune.
The trick is making sure the extension doesn’t look like an afterthought. We spend ages getting the proportions right, matching materials, making sure the new bit feels like it belongs. When we get it right, you can’t tell where the old house ends and the new bit begins.
Open plan living isn’t going anywhere either, but people are getting more thoughtful about it. Nobody wants to smell cooking when they’re trying to watch telly anymore. We’re creating these clever zones within the open space, using different floor levels, lighting, even ceiling heights to separate areas without putting walls back up.
Bathrooms Are Getting Serious
The bathroom renovations we’re doing now would have been unthinkable ten years ago. People are spending serious money on turning their bathrooms into proper retreats. Rainfall showers, massive bathtubs, heated floors, the works. We did one recently where the shower alone cost more than some people’s entire bathroom budget.
The clever bit is the technology. Mirrors that don’t fog up, toilets that practically drive themselves, underfloor heating you can control from your phone. It sounds mad, but when you’re standing on a warm floor on a February morning, you understand why people want it.
Outdoor Spaces That Actually Work
Here’s something interesting: Londoners have stopped pretending the weather’s going to cooperate. Instead of hoping for sun, they’re building outdoor spaces that work in typical British weather. Covered kitchens, pergolas, proper outdoor rooms with heating and lighting.
We built an outdoor kitchen last year with a proper roof and sides that could close when the wind picked up. The family uses it year round now, not just the three days of summer we usually get. Garden offices are massive too. People realized they don’t want to work from their bedroom anymore, but they can’t afford to move somewhere bigger.
Smart Homes Done Right
The smart home thing has finally matured. Early adopters got burned by systems that were more trouble than they were worth. Now the technology actually works, and it’s not just for tech nerds anymore. We’re installing lighting systems that learn your routine, heating that knows when you’re coming home, security that doesn’t go off every time a cat walks past.
The key is keeping it simple. Nobody wants to need a computer science degree to turn their lights on. The best systems are the ones you forget are there until you need them.
Colors That Feel Like Home
After years of everything being white or grey, people want some warmth back in their homes. We’re using lots of terracotta, sage green, warm creams that actually feel welcoming. Textured walls are big too. Not the awful artex from the seventies, but subtle textures that catch the light beautifully.
Stone’s having a moment as well. Real stone, not the fake stuff. It costs more, but it ages better and feels substantial in a way that manufactured materials never do.
