London24NEWS

Brits flip properties into pubs as a result of they can not stand going out at night time

Brits are turning their homes into pubs because they cannot stand going out as the dark nights draw in, a survey found.

Almost seven in 10 – some 68% – said they preferred to stop in, with more than a third (34%) blaming shorter days and colder nights. More than half have created a home bar (56%), with three in 10 serving draught pints or cocktails, and a quarter have put up a dartboard.

Over a fifth have installed a pool table, while more than one in 10 have DJ decks to play party classics or boast a big screen to watch live sport. Some 52% have shelled out for a range of bar snacks, such as crisps, nuts and pork scratchings, 17% serve their ales and ciders from regulation pint glasses, and the same number belt out tunes from a karaoke machine.



Kevin Francis's Engine House Pub Shed of the Year
Kevin Francis’s Engine House won Pub Shed of the Year in 2023

Nearly as many – 9% – have a jukebox and more than one in 20 ring a bell at the end of the evening to ‘call time’.

Other popular additions include a wine fridge (28%), cocktail shakers (21%), mood lighting (25%), a drinks trolley (11%), table football (10%), a surround sound system (23%), a popcorn machine (11%), or record player (6%). Some 53% of those polled said staying in was just as fun as going out, with 42% revealing they had transformed their pad to entertain pals.

More than seven in 10 of the 2,000 UK adults surveyed said they could pour a pint just as well as a publican.



Pub shed
More Brits are embracing the home pub rather than their local boozer

Inbetweeners star James Buckley and wife Clair, who have partnered with home draught beer dispense firm PerfectDraft, which held the study, said they were “happiest when home”.

James said: “For the ultimate night in, we need a few key things – a cold pint of Stella Artois from our PerfectDraft machine, a delicious curry and a good horror film.

“The best bit is we can have all of this in the comfort of our own home.”

PerfectDraft director Chris Kitching added: “We’re seeing an increase in Brits elevating their at-home drinking, not wanting to compromise on the most important element – draught beer.”

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