If there is one sector that has suffered little from the health crisis, it is the DIY sector.
Closed at home, either by obligation (confinement) or by choice (telework), the French obviously had a somewhat complicated tête-à-tête with their real estate assets.
Result: home work has been booming for two years.
And Île-de-France is particularly concerned by this trend. Thus Hemea, which supports individuals in their renovation projects, recorded a 61% increase in its sites between the first half of 2019 and the first half of 2021. On average, the site manages 200 to 250 per month in the region.
When he co-founded his start-up in 2015, Matthieu Burin never imagined that, five years later, his company would experience such development.
And yet, the health crisis has never encouraged homeowners to take care of their interior so much.
“This craze has developed thanks to two trends,” he explains.
On the one hand, people saved a lot since they couldn't go on vacation, and on the other hand, they never spent so much time at home.
Result: they said to themselves that this would be the time to invest, especially since it will give value to the property.
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"The average renovated surface has increased from 70 to 81 m2"
According to the platform, the average budget in Ile-de-France is 38,856 euros. But the figures are very diverse depending on the departments. Essonne has thus gone from 6,969 euros in 2019 to 45,075 euros in 2021, i.e. seven times more in two years. To a lesser extent, the average ticket in Val-d'Oise was 25,299 euros in 2019, it is now 62,066 euros, i.e. a multiplication by 2.5. But it is Seine-et-Marne which remains the department where we spend the most with nearly 79,558 euros of investment (against 70,016 euros).
“During these two years, Parisian households moved to buy, to have more space and it is mainly the inner suburbs that is concerned since it is in these territories that we find the most houses, continues- he.
Thanks to their strong purchasing power, they were therefore able to devote part of their investment to their work, hence the large amounts in the 95 or 77. Moreover, we can see it clearly, the average renovated surface has increased. from 70 to 81 m2, an increase of 16%.
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Another phenomenon that has contributed to the surge in amounts: low rates.
“With such attractive conditions, people don't hesitate to borrow a little more in order to be able to do the work,” emphasizes Matthieu Burin.
Which, mechanically, multiplies the number of sites.
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And it is not Léa Mast who will say the opposite.
“Clearly, confinement has really been a trigger for many people, analyzes this interior designer.
The observation is that today we spend a lot more time at home.
We therefore have requests for an additional room in the context of teleworking, a better equipped kitchen because people have started to cook, or even improve the brightness of the living room because we also receive more than before.
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Among the most requested projects, the transformation of the living room to obtain more light and storage space.
DR / Hemea
This desire to be better at home is exactly what prompted Olivier to leave Paris.
“I lived in a 70 m2 three-room apartment with my wife and two children.
Suffice to say that the various confinements were not a piece of cake, he admits.
This time spent in our apartment brought out all of its faults: a single room for the two boys, a small space, dismal soundproofing, the stressed life of Parisians… In short, we had to leave.
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An investment ... which increases the value of housing
The small tribe has set its sights on an 85 m2 duplex in Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine). The apartment suits them perfectly ... with one exception: a bedroom is missing. Never mind, they will increase the level. Located on the top floor, the project is feasible. “We weren't too proud at the start because we don't know much about it, that's why we called on Hemea who took matters into his own hands,” he smiles. We have raised and we are going to convert the old attic to make a master bedroom with bathroom, ie an additional 17 m2. "
Total cost: around 70,000 euros, or 10% of the price of the apartment.
A very good deal according to Olivier.
“Here, the square meter is negotiated at 8,500 euros.
However, the expansion costs me 4,000 euros / m2, he enthuses.
So, not only, we enhance the apartment at a lower cost, but, in addition, we configure it exactly as we want.
At the end of the work, it will be valued at around 900,000 euros.
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Read also Teleworking: our advice for setting up an office at home
It is also this desire for personalization that prompted Lisa
(the first name has been changed)
to completely redo her apartment, a 48 m2 two-room apartment in the 17th arrondissement. “As we spend more and more time in our accommodation, we wanted a property that was optimized as much as possible,” she emphasizes. At first, it started with a need for storage because, without a closet, we had to buy furniture that took up space. Upon arrival, we redid everything. "
Lisa did not go dead hand.
She knocked down interior walls, added sliding partitions, removed doors, opened the kitchen, redone the bathroom… a project of nearly 70,000 euros for an apartment which was worth 500,000 euros before work.
"It is also an investment," recalls the young woman.
It will be worth much more afterwards and, above all, it will be highlighted like never before.
After that, you have to be able to live elsewhere during the three months of the worksite.
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