Build Magazine April 2016

Build Magazine 31 Real Estate Of 1,000 UK residents surveyed over 30% said that if they could add an extra room to their home it would be to create an ‘alone zone’ to get away from the rest of the family, or to banish their partner to. ‘Man Caves’, ‘Dad Pads’ and ‘Man Crèches’ were top of the additional room wish list with 27% of all those surveyed wanting a separate space for all their household’s boys toys includ- ing games consoles, tools and pool table. They would also ‘pimp’ their Man-Pad with a bar and giant cinema screens to watch the match. Less than 10% of the nation actually wanted to create a living space that could be shared by all the family, whilst 2% of kinky Brits would use the space to get closer with ‘adult-only’ facilities. Just four people said they would use the space for an altruistic purpose; three-quarters of those said they would use it as a cattery, perhaps indicating we think more of our furry friends than we do our fellow man. Only 1% saw it as a commercial opportunity by creating a self-contained flat. Perhaps inspired by New Year, new you initia- tives, 14% of the nation said they would create their own personal gym or wellness centre with spa, Jacuzzi, pool or yoga studio. Whilst the UK’s culture-vultures would create Craft Caves, recording studios, wine cellars and libraries. The survey which was commissioned by Sim- ply Basement, London’s basement specialist also found 1 in 5 of us are too scared to go into our existing basement citing spiders, ghosts, scary movies and even Home Alone as reasons for their basement floor-fear. 1 in 2 people in the UK said they were put off by the cost of converting a basement and with findings such as Ouija boards, animal skele- tons, pests and WW2 gas masks in the nation’s basements, it’s little wonder we’re reluctant to dig-down. But according to Simply Basement to ignore the space could be a major mistake, with homes literally sitting on a goldmine. “According to the latest research figures, basement conversions in London add on average 10-15% to a house price” said Simply Basement Director Rob Wood. “With the average square metre of property in London costing £4,426 and up to £12,000 in areas such as Kensington & Chelsea, developing a basement for £2,000 per square metre can be a very sensible and safe investment for any homeowner. As well as the investment im- plications, a basement conversion could also be the key to familial happiness,” continued Rob. “Of those surveyed and had already converted their basement, 100% of those felt it improved their lifestyle”. With soaring house prices across London Simply Basement offers homeowners and developers a high-quality service to increase their home’s scale and value by extending it downwards. For more information or to book a free no obligation quote, visit www.simplybasement.co.uk , call Freephone 0800 917 7571 or follow us on Facebook /simplybasement or Twitter @simplybasement. The UK Simply Basement Survey Stat Summary: • 30% of the nation would create an Alone Zone with a basement conversion • 27% of Brits would convert their dream basement into a Man-Pad, whilst 14% would turn it into a person- al gym/spa • 20% of people have basement-floor fear with scary movies, the film Home Alone, spiders and ghosts as the main causes for their anxiety • 50% of the nation are put off by the perceived cost of converting their basement • 3% of the UK has converted their basement. Of those 100% felt it improved their lifestyle. 22% used the space for a bedroom with utility rooms, home offices and games rooms also being popular uses. “Alone Zones”: Nation’s No.1 Home Renovation Dream A recent survey by London basement conversion specialist, Simply Basement (www.simplybasement.co.uk) has revealed that we’re a nation who wants to be alone.