The weak housing market has encouraged many homeowners to spend more on improving their property, Elstead Lighting has said.Jonathan Lucas, managing director at the company, observed that there has been a rise in the number of people opting to stay put and improve their homes rather than move.The property market is not so buoyant as it was and there is more spend going on to develop the home and that also covers the garden, he said.People wishing to improve their properties could also choose to upgrade to a stylish County kitchen sink or a set of Perrin Rowe kitchen taps. Meanwhile, Mr Lucas noted that his company has seen an increased demand for quality garden lighting in recent months.The comments follow recent research from Everest which found that 18 million people intend to improve their property in the next year, while 3.3 million people plan to spend an average of 2,274 improving the outside of their home.