Home Improvement Index
The Checkatrade Home Improvement Index reveals the latest costs and demand trends, powered by data from nearly 4 million job enquiries each quarter.
What happened in Q4 2025?
The period of hyper-inflation in the UK home improvement sector appears to have ended, with average costs for jobs in Checkatrade’s ‘building’ category falling 14% in the last year and 25% from their 2023 peaks.
Building prices have fallen
Checkatrade’s Home Improvement Index shows that the average price of jobs in its building category have fallen 14% in a year and 25% since 2023 peaks - an average drop of £2,000
Stable costs
More stable costs sees supply risk premiums ‘vanish’, leading to falling prices
Material prices falling
Falling costs for key materials such as steel, plywood and gravel contribute to the drop
Falling labour cost inflation
This is supported by falling labour cost inflation, which has returned to normal levels
Good news for homeowners and tradespeople
Checkatrade CEO says ‘key shift’ in pricing is good news for homeowners and tradespeople
Read the index:
Average building costs fall by around a quarter from 2023 peaks according to Checkatrade figures - as material costs and labour inflation fall
The period of hyper-inflation in the UK home improvement sector appears to have ended, with average costs for jobs in Checkatrade’s ‘building’ category falling 14% in the last year and 25% from their 2023 peaks.
Reacting to the data, Jambu Palaniappan, CEO at Checkatrade, says: “We are seeing a key shift in pricing in the home improvement and domestic construction sector. Supply risk premiums which were required to protect tradespeople against volatile material price hikes and double-digit labour inflation are vanishing now those risks have been largely removed.”
“While labour costs are still rising modestly, the return to historic norms of 2-5% gives contractors the stability they need to price more competitively.
“A further factor in falling prices is demand - which has fallen from the highs seen after lockdown, and the housing market has slowed. As a result, there’s a bit more competition for work, leading to lower costs for consumers.
Commenting on what this means for consumers and the industry, Jambu Palaniappan added: “This softening of prices is good news for homeowners, particularly those choosing to improve, rather than move - perhaps the best time in the past few years. Meanwhile, tradespeople will generally welcome the return of stability. Lower material and predictable labour costs means projects are easier to plan and business growth will be steadier."
Previous Home Improvement Index reports
Q3 2025 - Index 5
Consumer demand for air conditioning installation in UK homes has increased by two-thirds (63%) year-on-year due to the record-breaking summer heat the UK has experienced this year.
Record-breaking summer sees demand for air conditioning installation in UK homes soar by 63%
Consumer demand for air conditioning installation in UK homes has increased by two-thirds (63%) year-on-year due to the record-breaking summer heat the UK has experienced this year.
Q2 2025 - Index 4
Checkatrade data shows a drop in costs for key ‘home upgrade’ work, including bathroom, bedroom and kitchen fittings.
Building costs continue to fall according to latest industry figures
There is good news for homeowners as the cost of key building jobs continue to fall for the second quarter in a row. This is according to the latest figures from the Checkatrade Home Improvement Index, the most comprehensive overview of home services work carried out in the UK based on data recorded from nearly 4 million job enquiries.
Q1 2025 - Index 3
The number of high-value home improvement jobs such as kitchens, bathroom and building work has jumped significantly versus the previous quarter.
Spending on ‘Big Ticket’ home improvements up quarter-on-quarter due to falling costs and ‘selling season’
The number of households spending on ‘big ticket’ home improvements such as kitchen and bathroom fittings, building work, patios and landscaping were up significantly in the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest figures from the Checkatrade Home Improvement Index.
Q4 2024 - Index 2
Asbestos removal jobs in UK homes increased by over a fifth in 2024 vs the previous year.
Asbestos continues to plague UK homes, finds new Checkatrade report
Asbestos continues to be a significant issue in the UK, with demand for asbestos removal services surging by 21% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, storm damage repairs and households investing in repairs and upgrades led to a huge
Q3 2024 - Index 1
New report finds increased labour and material costs led to a 19% increase in the average cost of building work in Q3, but demand has actually risen.
Checkatrade launches first-ever UK Home Improvement Index
The average cost of building work is up by almost a fifth (19%) in Q3 2024, according to figures from Checkatrade’s inaugural UK Home Improvement Index. The index found that the average cost of a building job is now £12,634 - up from £10,626 the previous quarter. The increase is
Common job costs
Want to know what the average cost of popular jobs are? We've got you covered. Take a look at some common job costs around the home:
Air conditioning - The average cost of a 12000 BTU wall-mounted unit (also known as a split air con unit) is £750.
Boiler service - The average cost of a boiler service is around £100.
Loft insulation - Insulating a loft in the UK ranges from around £654 for a terraced property up to around £1,206 for a detached house.
Weather coating - Wall coating can cost between £1,200 - £3,600.
Chimney sweeping - In the UK, the average cost for a chimney sweep is typically £90.
Tree removal - The average cost of tree removal in the UK ranges from around £280 - £2,040.
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