Virksomhedsnyheder
Homeowners are making significant changes to their front yards, creating landscapes that are distinctly different from neighboring properties, according to the 2017 U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Survey. The survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or who recently completed an outdoor project, found only six percent of front yards are nearly identical to those in the neighborhood after outdoor projects, compared with over a third before the update (36 percent). Two in five make a statement with a new front yard that is very or extremely different from others in the neighborhood post-update (41 percent). While most outdoor projects take place in the back of the home (69 percent), nearly half involve street-facing spaces (44 percent).
Motivations for starting a landscaping project have shifted in the last year. Having purchased a home and wanting to personalize it tops the list for the first time (33 percent in 2017 versus 25 percent in 2016). While the share of projects triggered by something breaking down declined slightly, it remains high (32 percent). This is in line with many homeowners reporting that their last outdoor updates happened more than 10 years ago (42 percent).
The study revealed an increased interest in low maintenance plants (76 percent in 2017 versus 67 percent in 2015), likely motivated by the fact that 80 percent of respondents are responsible for maintenance and care of their garden post-update. Also gaining in popularity are insect/bird attractant plants (52 percent versus 41 percent in 2015) and native plants (51 percent in 2017 versus 43 percent in 2015). Meanwhile, planting of edibles decreased from 41 percent in 2015 to just 34 percent in 2017.
“Home renovation activity is benefiting from the significant increase in home sales in 2015 and 2016, which is reflected in our findings on motivations for starting a landscape project,” said Nino Sitchinava, principal economist at Houzz. “Since housing inventory has remained low, recent homebuyers likely consider their homes less than ideal, leading them to prioritize upgrades like outdoor projects more than ever, with emphasis on low maintenance.”
When cultivating curb appeal, it’s all about the plants. More than half of those who updated their front yard say that beds or borders (47 percent), shrubs (29 percent) and perennials (28 percent) are most important to improving curb appeal. Additional findings include:
You can download the full U.S. Houzz Landscaping Trends Study here.
Houzz has over 13 million photos of professionally designed interiors and exteriors, including completed landscaping projects, and more than 1.5 million active home remodeling and design professionals including landscape architects and designers and landscape contractors.
The “U.S. Landscaping Trends Study” is an online survey of U.S. Houzz users in February and March of 2017. n=1,000.
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, Bangalore and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit www.houzz.com