KITCHENER -- While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on the economy, home renovations are flourishing.

Many people are looking for creative ways to make pandemic life easier in their homes, creating designated offices, home gyms and entertainment areas.

"We've been staying at home, we're not travelling, so it seemed like the perfect time," said Martha Anne Lunz.

Lunz said they decided to build a home gym, since many closed due to the pandemic.

"We were trying to navigate how to get to the gym and the boys were really struggling and I was really struggling," she said. "So, just formalizing our space and making it livable and usable. Like I said, I think COVID is here for a while, so I think we'll get a lot of good use out of it."

Contractor Brian Walls said home renovations are booming.

"It's been crazy busy," he said.

According to Walls, homeowners want to add more square footage to their homes. That includes second storey additions for gyms, entertainment options and office spaces.

"Offices are very big in houses right now," he said. "People need an office space to work, but they also need to escape from their kids."

Mike Malleck included a designated home office in his upgrades.

"The fact that I've been spending all of my time at home, or the majority, is I had to create a little bit better work space," he said.

They also build a home theatre.

"We can't go to the movies, so the movies come to us," Malleck said.

Dave Dryland, custom department manager at Gibson Sound and Vision, said many people were adding outdoor TVs and audio systems over the summer.

"Everybody just focused on spending more time at home and trying to enjoy that time through their home theatre system," he said.