Data from the 2023 U.S. Houzz and Home Study shows that exterior renovations are a top priority for U.S. homeowners. Whether it's due to climate, current trends, or regional factors, exterior remodeling preferences vary across the top 30 metropolitan areas in the United States.
Important points:
Windows and Paint are at the top of the list. The most popular exterior improvements for U.S. homeowners are windows or skylights and exterior painting (21% each), closely followed by roofs, exterior doors, and gutters (20%, 19%, and 19%, respectively) ).
The frequency of chimney updates is low. Chimneys are the least popular exterior renovation, followed by structural upgrades (7%) and siding/stucco (9%).
here comes the sunlight. Homeowners in West Coast cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle, are most likely to replace their windows. Window upgrades are also popular among Boston homeowners.
New paint job. Miami homeowners are most likely to update their exterior paint (38%). Other major cities where homeowners are in desperate need of a new coat of paint include Portland, San Diego, Orlando, and Phoenix.
Top 5 renovation details:
Homeowners in San Francisco are prioritizing windows, while homeowners in Philadelphia are eyeing new gutters. Here we show you which exterior projects are most likely by region. The study looked at the 30 largest metropolitan areas and ranked the top exterior renovation projects at the metropolitan area level. Across all metro areas, five categories ranked highest: window renovations, paint upgrades, new exterior doors, new roofs, and new gutters.
1. Windows upgrade
Window upgrades go hand-in-hand with painting, the nation's most popular exterior update, and help update both aesthetics and functionality, often improving sealing and insulation to reduce utility bills. Helpful. This year, homeowners in West Coast cities like San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and Los Angeles are most likely to replace their windows, with San Francisco leading the way (37%).
An outlier on the East Coast was Boston, where 36% of homeowners replaced their windows. This number is much higher than similar Northeastern cities such as Philadelphia (27%).
2. Paint update
A fresh coat of paint gives your home a modern look and greatly contributes to its curb appeal. Additionally, it acts as an additional layer of protection from the elements. So it's surprising that homeowners in cities with warmer winters, such as Miami, San Diego, Orlando, and Phoenix (38%, 35%, 35%, and 34%, respectively), are the most likely to update their exterior paint. . The exception is Portland, where painting tops the list of home exterior updates (36%).
Meanwhile, homeowners in cities with cold winters, such as Minneapolis (21%), New York (19%), and Philadelphia (17%), are less likely to paint their exterior walls.
3. New exterior door
Like paint, your exterior front door can also enhance your home's curb appeal, especially with the bold colors that are popular today. Installing a new door at the back of your home can strengthen the connection between indoors and outdoors. Homeowners in Miami and Boston are most likely to update their exterior doors (32% and 30%, respectively), followed by Dallas, Cincinnati, and Baltimore (all 27%). In contrast, Sacramento (17%) and Denver (19%) are least likely to have new doors installed.
4. New roofing material
Roof upgrades tend to be expensive and infrequent. In fact, according to the 2023 U.S. Houzz & Home Study, the median cost for a new roof is $10,000. Nevertheless, one in five (20%) of homeowners who renovate replace their roof, and 18% hire a roofing professional for the project. Homeowners in Florida's three cities are most likely to replace their roofs, perhaps because repairs are needed due to severe storm or hurricane damage, with Orlando (42%) leading the way, followed by Tampa (30%). and Miami (29%).
5. New gutters
19% of U.S. homeowners update gutters during a renovation project, but that percentage jumps for those living in the Sunbelt. Orlando-based homeowners are most likely to update their gutters (34%), followed by Miami, Atlanta, and Houston (all 28%). Philadelphia is an exception, being the only top city in the Northeast looking for new gutters (29%).
Homeowners in Las Vegas are the least likely to replace their gutters (1%), likely due to the lack of rainfall and dry, arid climate.
Other key points:
Americans continue to invest in their homes, and recent years have seen an increase in the median amount homeowners spend renovating their homes. There are several reasons for this.
- Rising mortgage rates and home prices are causing more people to choose to stay put and upgrade their homes rather than move. Two in five girlfriends (41%) have no plans to move.
- The U.S. housing stock is aging, with an average age of 42 years, and these aging homes require essential repairs and maintenance.
Home equity values are so high that homeowners can invest in their homes with confidence. - Inflation: Inflation affects every aspect of the home improvement process, increasing median spending due to rising prices for products, materials, and services.
View the study's complete dataset here.
