Staycationing Scots splish, splash the cash as hot tubs and home bars turn our gardens all-inclusive

Stay-at-home Scots are using returned deposits from cancelled summer breaks to recreate their holidays at home.

Sales of hot tubs and home bars have gone through the roof as stay­cationers go all-­inclusive…in their gardens.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in sales – about 100% since lockdown began,” Mark Aikman, dealer principal for hot-tub firm Hydropool Scotland said.

“The market size is double what it was before Covid as people are deciding to splash out at home the money they have had refunded or were saving to book a holiday abroad this summer. People still have money to spend and it means we are busier than ever.”

Hydropool Scotland installs hot tubs starting at about £4,000 and swim spas, which can involve £40,000 of investment.

The company’s headquarters recently installed swim spas in the gardens of members of the GB Olympic swim team so they could continue vital ­training for the competition in Tokyo in 2021, postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.

“Inquiries and orders have been through the roof, so we have been working right through,” Mark said. “People ­realise these products are an investment, so they’re not only going to make the most of their outdoor space this summer, but for many years to come.”

© Andrew Cawley

Melanie Russell, managing director of Outside In Garden Rooms, a Scottish company that specialises in the manufacture of garden rooms, said: “We have been absolutely slammed. Both orders and inquiries are off the scale. Business has certainly doubled for us during lockdown, and could be as much as threefold. It’s just incredible.”

Melanie added: “People have realised they are not going to get their summer holiday and that working from home is going to be a long-term thing. So they are looking to make the most of the outdoor space they have and transform it into something new.They’re spending the money they would spend on a two-week holiday on something that will last 20 or 30 years.”

Mum-of-two Melanie, who started the Glasgow-based ­business back in May 2018, added: “Our starting price for a garden room is about £12,000 but they can go up to £30,000 depending on size and facilities.And they can be multi-use, from a relaxing outdoor space, home office and home gym to teenage hangout and disco room.

“Lockdown has made people rethink how they live their lives and embrace spending much more time at home than they ever have. So it’s nice to have an escape from the house, somewhere at a short distance you can go to work or to relax – and have alone time if you have a busy house.”

Melanie added: “If you are working from home, it can be hard to shut off. A garden office allows people to set boundaries. It means you can still experience that feeling of leaving the house to go to work – and coming home at the end of a hard day.”

‘Now we have our own holiday haven and it is right on our doorstep’: Nurse Jacqueline Flanagan

Jacqueline Flanagan was looking forward to a fun-filled summer, with plans for a getaway in Spain and family flying in from America.

But the pandemic dashed the NHS nurse’s plans and that’s when she decided to spend her hard-earned cash on a holiday much closer to home. Realising Scotland was in for a sunny spell, the 55-year-old, from Bellshill, Lanarkshire, and husband William jazzed up their garden at the start of lockdown with an inflatable hot tub.

“It was the closest to a pool we could get,” Jacqueline, who contracted Covid herself in April, said. “We bought it just before the heatwave.

“But then I decided we needed a she-shed to go with it. William has a man cave room in the house, so I thought I deserved somewhere to relax, too.”

The couple hired a joiner to build a outdoor cabin at the bottom of the garden, which they’ve kitted out with a flat-screen TV, furniture and a wine fridge.

“We’re so impressed with it,” mum-of-two Jacqueline said.

“If lockdown hadn’t happened we would never have thought of it, but now we have our own little holiday haven, right on our doorstep.”

The clinical support worker of 20 years, said: “Having the virus knocked the life out of me. It was quite frightening, but thankfully I’m a healthy person so I was able to get through it.

“Being a keyworker throughout this has driven home the importance of spending quality time with the family – and taking time out of our busy lives when we can to relax.

“This means we can do that any time we choose – and we don’t need a plane to get us there.

“We can, of course, have our son Kieran and daughter Kathleen over to visit for now which is great, but we’re looking forward to hosting many hot tub parties when lockdown is over.

“The best thing will be spending time with everyone we love again – and this will just make it even better.”