Almost 7M UK homeowners plan to renovate by 2027, spending an average of £14,000 each. 83% say they do not follow trends quickly, and almost half actively avoid them in favour of timeless design. Yet 56% still admit they made a mistake, with some of the work ageing the house.
Paul Kershaw, Home Maintenance Expert at Tradefix Direct, has flagged some of the home improvement choices popular across the UK that now make a house look older, with a tip for each.
1. Painting Everything Grey Dates the Room to 2016
Grey was the go-to for a decade, and in 2023 30% of Britons said a light grey kitchen and living room would make them more likely to buy. By 2026, grey kitchen doors had dropped to 13% while wood climbed to 20%. Grey goes cold in daylight and fades where people walk, so buyers see another job they will have to undo.
Expert tip: Change the light bulbs before you repaint. Warm white at 2700K makes the grey look softer, and a full room costs about £15.
2. Boarding Up the Fireplace is No Longer the Norm
Blocking the chimney was a UK standard once central heating arrived, so only 11% of homes still have a fireplace. Because so few are left, over 100 estate agents say one now adds around 5% to a house, about £13,500 on the average UK home. The chimney breast still sticks out into the room, but the opening is covered over with a board and a vent, so people see it as a wall with a bump in it rather than a feature now.
Expert's hack: Knock on the chimney breast. A hollow sound means your fireplace was covered with a board and can be opened up in an afternoon for around £500.
3. Laying Artificial Grass Ages the Garden
Fake lawns were the low-maintenance fix for a muddy garden, and 21% of UK households have laid one. Installation inquiries have since fallen 48% in a single year, and 36% of Britons now want the product banned outright. It flattens where it is walked, fades where the sun hits, and goes grey at the edges, so the garden looks worn in a way real grass can never do.
Expert tip: Sweep it backward with a stiff broom to stand the flattened blades up. If you want it gone, lift a corner first. Concrete underneath means around £2,000 to dig out before real grass can be put.
4. Putting White uPVC Windows Date the Entire Front of the House
White plastic was the default replacement frame until about 2015, and it is still on most UK houses. Most people now fit anthracite grey instead, up from under 10% of new windows in 2018 to around 40% in 2026. White frames yellow on the sunny side, the seals go grey, and the panels chalk up where the rain hits, so the windows look older than the rest of the house.
Expert tip: Try cleaning them first, as most yellowed uPVC is just dirt. If you decide to change them, pick the colour to match the roofline and front door.
Paul adds: "None of these were only about looks. Grey hid marks, the boarded chimney stopped the draught, fake grass helped with the mud, and white plastic replaced easily rotting frames. Every one of them was chosen to cut down the work, and that is exactly why they became trends. But the trade has moved on since, and what fitters are putting in now is not what they were putting in ten years ago. If you are only making these decisions once every twenty years, ask what is actually being installed this month before you commit."
