Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield crowned in ‘Top 10 places to live for home DIY lovers’

And we’re in the top five cities for DIY home improvements too.

Bank Holidays often mark the start of huge new DIY home projects in Leeds.

Whether you’re choosing to use your bank holiday to repaint your bedroom or upcycle furniture for the lounge, there’s no doubt that hundreds of homeowners across the UK will be using their extra day off to take on some home improvement challenges.

Whether you’re someone that can see such projects from start to end, or get bored halfway through, here in Leeds we’ve been recognised as having some of the most enthusiastic DIY and home lovers across the country.

According to Leader Doors, there was a staggering 35% increase in the number of first-time buyers stepping onto the property ladder in 2021 when compared to 2020, and whilst that means that more people than ever are undertaking the challenge of furnishing and improving homes for the very first time, the cost of living crisis also suggests that they’re trying to do this on a more limited budget.

New financial limitations, combined with new TikTok hack trends that are making DIY projects accessible in a way that previous generations could not have possible fathomed, was the driving force behind a new survey from Leader Doors into the best UK cities to live if you’re a home enthusiast.

Leeds scored an impressive 7th place, pipped by Bradford in 6th. Marked against the number of combined decor and DIY stores and ranked accordingly, this survey was all about accessibility to materials- given there’s little point in moving to your dream city if you’re a flat-pack lover and there’s not an IKEA for miles.

Overall, Leeds has a respectable 68 stores across the city, whilst Bradford totted up an impressive 74 DIY and home improvement stores across the city. Even Wakefield made it into the top ten, with 61 stores counted across the region.

When it came to DIY stores, the survey counted up the number of B&Qs, Homebase, IKEA and Wilkos to discover where cities lay in their ability to upcycle and get creative. Leeds and Bradford scored a joint fifth place with a total score of 21 each- not bad when you account for the size of our cities compared to the likes of London (which came in first with 52 stores across the entire city).

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Clearly, we’re a city with a lot to offer, but now Leeds can add ‘Top UK city for DIY and home improvement’ to its accolades- an unusual, but nonetheless exciting, title to have.

Feature Image- Roselyn Tirado, Unsplash