Gardens being neglected by nearly one in five Brits

Nearly 1 in 5 Brits (19%) do not use their garden as a social or living space, and only 16% use it for between 3 and 4 months of the year, according to research by Alliance & Leicester Personal Loans, with nearly half (45%) thinking that building a conservatory would be enough to encourage them to appreciate their outside space for more of the year.

Homeowners felt that by introducing a conservatory, a heater, or having a larger garden would only encourage them to use their outside space to its best potential (45%, 32% and 23% respectively). Of the homeowners who would like to use their garden more during colder months, 4 in 10 (37%) would choose to use it for leisure and to relax by reading the papers and drinking coffee, and 20% would want to use it to relax in a hot tub or sauna.

While building a conservatory could come at an average cost of £10,000, homeowners who want to make the most of their outdoor space might want to consider installing a hot tub instead, about £9,000, or nearer £3,000 for a garden sauna.

More space

The desire for a larger garden was felt the most by those living in London, with 29% claiming that they would only use their outdoor space more if they had a bigger garden. However, 30% of Londoners said that they would like their garden to provide them with extra living space, an indication that, many homes in the capital may feel more cramped, and lack sufficient outside space compared with other parts of the UK.

Socialising at home:

Nearly 1 in 5 Brits (19%) said that if they were able to use their garden all-year round, they would be able to socialise at home more often and would subsequently save more money. This echoes the current trend of homeowners who are choosing to ‘improve not move', and are opting to make additions and alterations to the home instead of moving elsewhere.

Nearly half of respondents (47%) would like to use their garden in the colder months to be able to watch wildlife.

31% of those aged 55 and over said that they would be able to start or keep up hobbies such as gardening if they were able to use their garden all year round.

13% of those aged 45-54 think that having a workshop in their garden would enable them to use their garden for more of the year.

One in four homeowners in Scotland do not use their garden at all.

Richard Al-Dabbagh, Head of Personal Loans at Alliance & Leicester said: "Unfortunately the UK's notorious reputation for bad weather means that homeowners do not get to spend as much time as they would like in their garden, with one in five admitting they don't use their outside space for social or living purposes.

"The top additions to make gardens more enticing include heaters, hot tubs, saunas, workshops and conservatories, and homeowners who want to make the most of this space may opt for a personal loan in order to make their garden more desirable and usable. While some may be averse to installing a hot tub during the colder months, other options such as conservatories mean that the outdoors can still be appreciated, but from within the warmth of the home."

For anyone interested in bagging a competitive loan, Alliance & Leicester's website, alliance-leicester.co.uk, provides access to useful tools including a Loan Calculator, which enables people to work out how much they can afford to borrow and how long they wish to spread their repayments.