Homes are important to their owners. Whether they reside in them or have tenants residing in the homeowners will, all else being equal, happily invest in the improvement of their homes. Time introduces new trends and influences to the homeowners and for those who want to keep up, upgrades will be required. For the aptly skilled, home improvement presents a budding business opportunity. Of course, not all home improvement business ideas are created equal so what we will look at are the most promising ones in the Zimbabwean context.
Cabinets and fittings
While they do last long within a decade or two many of these fittings will need some touch-ups or outright replacement. There’s very good business in this due to the combination of a few factors. The influence of trends on customers makes knowing what is in demand somewhat predictable. There has also been a big shift in the quality and accessibility of ready-made cabinets and fittings. This business is certainly worth looking into.
Carpentry
Those with carpentry skills can look into carpentry as a home improvement business idea. Many indoor and outdoor fittings can be made from wood and wood structures. Zimbabwe’s weather makes outdoor entertainment ideal. Simple indoor furniture needs can also be addressed with carpentry skills. An eye for international trends will help with identifying what is in demand.
Upholstery
Upholstery and reupholstery also represent good business opportunities. With a lot of older furniture requiring facelifts or upgrades to fit into modern design and décor needs, a person with the right skills and experience can create a viable business. Again this is a business where being up to date with trends in decor will give you an upper hand. Though sometimes customers simply want to restore things to their former glory many times you will find they are looking for an update or revamp.
Tiles and flooring
When it comes to home interiors, floors are perhaps the most important choice that you will make. Floors set the tone for a room and given the cost of changing them as compared to painting walls, this is a decision not taken lightly. This also makes floors a target when someone wants to improve a home. While ceramic tiles seem to be a forever trend and the most popular type of flooring for those making improvements do not underestimate wood laminate and screed amongst other options.
Home security
With the escalation in violent crime, particularly home invasion this is an area that represents good business. CCTV, alarm systems and other home security related ideas make good business opportunities. Some of these may be better offered by a security company but some things can be easily offered by someone who just has the right skills and experience. Home security will be a big area in home improvement if things continue as they are.
Landscaping
Enough indoors stuff let’s talk about the outdoors. Landscaping is very important in terms of outdoors home improvement. It’s not so much managing the landscapes but rather designing and creating them that represents a good home improvement business opportunity. There’s a lot to consider here. Zero gardens and water-conserving gardens are a huge trend to consider. There’s also the supply of plants including trees for landscaping that can be very lucrative.
Deck and outdoor
Entertaining at home is a part of being Zimbabwean and as mentioned before we have lovely weather for doing this outdoors. Having adequate facilities to entertain outdoors is desirable and there is good business in providing construction services. Patios, decks, braai areas and gazebos are all within the trends. There are a lot of ways to go about this so the wider your range the better chances you have with customers.
Homes are such large investments going into a business that helps people maintain and improve their homes is a no brainer.
