Demand for extra living space drives consumer interest for CR Smith

CR Smith has witnessed an increase in demand for extra living space over the past 20 months and the desire of many homeowners, who have saved for home improvements, to see their dreams become a reality and within their budget. After the first lockdown in 2020, CR Smith saw enquiry levels for sunrooms and orangeries soar 22% against the same period the year before and this trend has continued through 2021, with a further 42% rise in enquiries. The company’s design team has been working with customers throughout Scotland on bespoke projects ranging in size from 16m2 to 60m2, and for both new build and traditional period homes.

CR Smith has developed its range of bespoke living spaces to include designs with solid flat roofs and fully vaulted traditional tiled roofs incorporating steel superstructures that maximise the glazing for natural light. The average cost of a CR Smith living space is between £2.5K to £3k /m2, which includes all 3D design drawings, and full architectural services such as applications for building warrants and planning permissions and is fully project managed. Customers also receive a fully transferable 10-year guarantee for their new build. Customers have been able to choose the level of deposit to put down in staged payments throughout the build and use the interest free credit offer for the remainder of the project costs. Customers with a 60% deposit can opt to use the full 10-year term, or if they would prefer, can choose from 7, 8 and 9 year terms to reduce their initial cash outlay, offering real flexibility. Finance is provided by Creation, one of the firm’s long term funding partners, with 93% of all CR Smith customers in the past having been accepted for loan agreements.

 It is another innovative move from CR Smith which has led the way in terms of easy payment consumer finance, including its 12-month deferred option from Hitachi Capital at only 0.9% APR representative on its Lorimer range of windows and doors. Gareth McCluskey, Head of Marketing at CR Smith, said: “At a time when more people are seeing the potential for their homes, as workplaces to where they can spend more family time, we have made extending the home in 2022 far easier using this new innovative funding package, with 10 years interest free credit. Such affordable finance is unheard of in our market, but we recognise that the demand is there and with our long-term finance partners have created a new finance product that will help customers get exactly what they want for their homes.

 “The success of our Lorimer range of Living Spaces is driven by our expertise in the home improvements market, earned over 45 years, as well as our full design service. We offer bespoke 3D drawings, which are completely free and can ultimately save customers up to £3k on architect fees. We also manage all aspects of the build, from building warrants and planning permissions through to all trades internal finishes.”