Outdoor makeovers share renovation recovery

October 7, 2020

A Paul Sengha Creative outdoor renovation, West Vancouver.


After a downturn following the onset of the pandemic, home renovation spending is back on track in Canada, according to Altus Group. And more homeowners are looking outside for inspiration.
Renovation spending in both May and June shows that more homeowners are moving ahead with projects that had been planned and shelved as the coronavirus threat appeared, according to Altus Group's chief economist Peter Norman.
But he noted it was not likely that total renovation expenditures in 2020 would match the $80.1 billion spent in 2019.
What is being renovated has changed—according to both Altus and renovators. While kitchens and bathrooms remain the main renovation target, there has been a move toward creating home offices, finishing basements and, increasingly, adding outdoor pools and decks, and improving landscaping.
The change is reflected in a 13 per cent June 2020 increase in sales at building and garden supply stores, according to Statistics Canada, compared to a month earlier.
“As these challenging times have pushed everyone to cocoon, the built environment and the seamless flow between home and garden has never taken on more significance than now,” said Paul Sangha, president of Vancouver-based Paul Sangha Creative, whose company has handled high-end landscape projects across Canada, the United States and Asia.