With our usual summer holiday plans looking unlikely this year, more than a third of homeowners are planning to holiday in their garden, according to a poll. With ‘staycations’ even at risk, 34 per cent plan to spend their main summer break enjoying their personal outdoor space instead.
Three in five of the 2,000 garden owners polled said they have appreciated their back yards more during lockdown, and a third said this was because of cancelled holidays. Many are sprucing up their outdoor space in anticipation of their ‘everydaycation’, with half of the eight per cent who own a hot tub or swimming pool purchasing it during lockdown.
The research was commissioned by BISHTA (British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association) and SPATA (Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association) to launch its ‘everydaycation’ campaign.
It also found an average of eight hours a week have been enjoyed in the garden during lockdown, with 68 per cent saying this is more than usual. The trends emerged in the study which discovered garden owners spend almost two years of their lives in their outdoor area – and more than £11,000 keeping it intact.
Overall, 247 hours – more than 10 full days – are enjoyed in garden spaces during the typical year.
Chris Hayes, Managing Director for BISHTA and SPATA, said: “The figures from the research highlight just how much time is enjoyed in a garden, whether that’s playing with our children or pets, to exercising or eating. Outdoor space is clearly an essential part of a home and now more than ever with holiday restrictions likely to continue this year.
“We want to help people make the most of their summer break, establishing that holiday feeling in their own garden – installing a hot tub or pool in your garden can recreate a summer holiday without the hassle of travel. There’s nothing more ‘holiday’ related than a swimming pool, and you don’t even have to leave your home to take a dip.”
The research also found over the course of the average adult lifetime, a total of 252 barbecues will be hosted in the garden, with the equivalent of four months spent sunbathing. Garden owners will also spend 26 hours a year exercising in their green space – a total of 10 weeks during their adult life.
A further 52 hours are taken up with al fresco dining in summer months – a total of 20 weeks over a lifetime. An eighth have even worked from there, with 16 per cent taking video calls from the garden while 19 per cent have used it as a space to exercise.
More than a quarter (28 per cent) said the increased time outside recently has made them consider giving their garden a make-over, with more than a third using the time to update it. This includes a quarter of those buying new furniture, three in five purchasing plants and 26 per cent changing the layout completely.
A quarter have bought new garden accessories, while 20 per cent installed a fruit or vegetable patch and seven per cent have even invested in a self-assembling swimming pool.
An eighth believe a pool is the ultimate status symbol, but barriers to owning one – or a hot tub – include lack of space (28 per cent) and fear of not being able to afford the maintenance (29 per cent).
Chris Hayes added, “This year is certainly no ordinary summer and holidays, and even staycations, have become ‘everydaycations’ – with that holiday feeling enjoyed in your very own garden even during a working week.
“To find inspiration to get your garden ready for your everydaycation, visit everydaycation.co.uk.”
Discover more about everydaycations at everydaycation.co.uk