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Houzz Inc., the leading platform for home remodeling and design, today released the Q2 2016 Houzz Renovation Barometer, which tracks confidence in the home renovation market among industry professionals. The Q2 2016 Barometer reflected widespread quarter-over-quarter confidence for all industry sectors including architects, designers, general contractors/remodelers, design-build, specialty building/renovation and specialty landscape/outdoor, with readings of 63* or higher. Outlook for Q3 continues to be positive for all sectors.

Year-over-year increases in business activity across all sectors tend to be driven by older homeowners. Half or more firms across all sectors report an increase in activity of homeowners ages 35-54 so far in 2016, relative to the same period in 2015 (46-58 percent). Projects from Baby Boomers have increased for many as well (36-51 percent). Unsurprisingly, projects from Millennials are increasing at a slower rate, with 21-28 percent of firms across all sectors reporting growth in projects from this age group.

Looking at other factors driving increased business activity, a third or more firms across all sectors report that more clients are purchasing high-end products in 2016 relative to the same time in 2015 (32-49 percent), and a quarter or more of firms are seeing more clients are tackling multiple projects at the same time (22-48 percent). In addition, half or more firms report an increase in year-over-year kitchen and bathroom renovations (46-58 percent). A third or more firms across all industry sectors report increases in smart home technology installations and aging-related upgrades (32-45 percent and 30-45 percent, respectively). Many firms also experienced growth in energy efficiency upgrades and eco-friendly/green projects (27-41 percent and 19-46 percent, respectively).

“Barometer readings over the past six quarters have shown consistent confidence in the home renovation industry, despite slight softening in some sectors,” said Nino Sitchinava, principal economist at Houzz. “The increase in Baby Boomer and Gen Xer activity, as well as an uptick in kitchen and bath activity, is consistent with our recent insights from other studies of homeowners and are a great sign of the vitality of our industry.”

Additional findings from the Q2 2016 Houzz Barometer include:

• Widening gap in confidence across sectors: The Q2 2016 scores for architects, designers, and design-build companies are five to seven percent lower than the Q1 2016 scores, while scores of other sectors increased or stayed the same. Further widening in the confidence gap between architects and designers relative to other sectors (63-66 vs. 71-78) indicates that quarter-over-quarter market gains are not equally widespread across sectors.
• Year-over-year gains persists, but with some market softening: The Barometer posted high year-over-year readings of 66-77 in Q2 2016, albeit somewhat below those in Q2 2015 for four of the five sectors. Scores for architects, designers, and design-build companies have declined four quarters in a row from a high of 75-80 in Q2 2015 to 66-73 in Q2 2016.
• Regional patterns consistent with national: Regional scores indicate widespread optimism that new business activity is continuing to improve quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year.

The full Q2 2016 Houzz Renovation Barometer can be found here.

There are more than 1 million active home remodeling and design professionals on Houzz, including architects, interior designers, general contractors and design-build firms.

Notes to Editors
The Houzz Renovation Barometer study is conducted quarterly and presents analysis of responses to an online survey sent out to a national U.S. panel of architects, interior designers, general contractors/remodelers, design-build firms, and building/renovation and landscape/outdoor specialties. The greater the index value relative to 50, the greater the proportion of firms reporting increases in quarterly business activity than those reporting decreases. N=2,659.

*The greater the index value relative to 50, the greater the proportion of firms reporting increases in quarterly business activity than those reporting decreases.

The next Houzz Renovation Barometer release date is October 19, 2016.

About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, find products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.