Northern suburbs hot for renovation
NORTHERN suburbs of Darwin and areas of Palmerston are leading the charge when it comes to demand for renovations across the Territory.
According to a report from Australia’s largest online tradie marketplace, hipages, the past 12 months has seen a record number of home improvement jobs.
For the NT, these jobs were concentrated in Alawa, Darwin city, Anula, Archer, Bakewell, Bagot, Alice Springs, Palmerston and Durack.
Victoria experienced the biggest boom in renovations – despite the highest number of lockdowns – with more jobs than any other jurisdiction.
The platform saw an increase in listings for all types of jobs, from small home improvements to whole-house renovations, but a few trades stood out the most.
The No.1 sought-after trade was handymen, followed by plumbers, electricians, fencers and painters rounding out the top five.
Hipages chief customer officer Stuart Tucker said it served as a reminder for people wanting to make changes to their homes to get in early.
“Post lockdown and now into the new year, demand for tradies remains . . . our message to homeowners is to list now for work that you’re planning, particularly if you’re in a suburb where demand is high,” Mr Tucker said.
Glover and Glover managing director Troy Glover said his business had noted an increase in demand.
“All the work has been in the northern suburbs and Palmerston,” Mr Glover said.
“We’ve stopped quoting people and don’t advertise it’s just referrals and through word of mouth.”
But he said the ongoing work was a good thing.
“I could do with a couple more boilermakers, but the core guys I’ve got working for me is the true force behind Glover and Glover,” he said.
“I’ve got a good team of guys.”
Mr Glover said his business had been working on a wide range of jobs, from home improvements to larger-scale works.
“We do all ends of the scale – from Defence and corporate maintenance to building satellite stations,” he said.
Construction businesses across the board are dealing with supply shortages, as well as the age-old issue of attracting workers.
“Our biggest issue is shortages of supplies – warehouses are dealing with staff shortages because of Covid,” Mr Glover said. “It’s also very hard to get tradies here in Darwin.”