November 21, 2019

Hausera, a new kind of online kitchen & bath specialty retailer that is launching this fall, has released the findings of its inaugural “The Truth about Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations” survey. With the goal of uncovering facts, trends and challenges about kitchen, bathroom and laundry room renovations, the survey, conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Hausera, found that most homeowners have renovated or remodeled recently and plan to make more updates or upgrades with a specific budget, purpose and style in mind.

The survey shows that homeowners across the country and across all age groups have been highly active in renovating and remodeling. Eight in 10 homeowners have renovated a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room in the last two years, and six in 10 have specific plans to do more in the next two years.

•                  Eighty-four percent of homeowners have remodeled a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room in the last two years; 29 percent have upgraded all three rooms.

•                  Homeowners spent an average of $12,800 for their kitchen renovation, $11,100 for their bathroom and $10,800 for their laundry room.

•                  Homeowners in urban areas have been most active in renovating – 86 percent of homeowners living in urban areas updated their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room in the last two years, compared to 76 percent of suburban homeowners and 69 percent of rural homeowners.

•                  Sixty-four percent said they plan to remodel their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room over the course of the next two years.

•                  For renovations in the next two years, homeowners said they plan to spend an average of more than $13,000 per room for a kitchen, bathroom or laundry room remodel.

Among homeowners who completed renovations during the last two years, staying on budget and finding the right professionals were selected as the top challenges when remodeling. Among homeowners ages 18-30, nearly one-half said their top challenge was finding the right professionals for the project.

•                  Across all age groups, homeowners cited three most frequent challenges in renovations: staying on budget during a renovation (41 percent), finding the right professionals for the project (39 percent) and funding the project (33 percent).

•                  All homeowners except for the 18-30 age group noted that the top challenge was staying on budget. Forty-eight percent of homeowners between the ages of 18-30 said their top challenge was finding the right professionals for the project.

Across kitchen, bathroom and laundry room renovations, homeowners said adapting to a lifestyle change, such as a changing family size or accommodations due to a disability or aging, was the biggest reason for a renovation.

  •                  The top three reasons why homeowners plan to renovate their kitchen are: adapting to lifestyle changes (41 percent), increasing property value before selling (38 percent) and improving the functionality of a space (38 percent).

•                  The top three reasons for renovating a bathroom are: adapting to lifestyle changes (45 percent), improving the functionality of a space (39 percent) and increasing property value before selling (36 percent).

•                  The top three reasons for renovating a laundry room are: adapting to lifestyle changes (47 percent), wanting to do it and finally having the money (46 percent) and improving the functionality/design of a space (43 percent).

A majority of homeowners said modern is their preferred style for their kitchens and bathrooms. When asked what they want their kitchens and bathrooms to say about them, about one-half want them to chose, “I’m modern.”

 •                  Fifty-one percent of homeowners identified modern as their ideal style for their kitchen and bathroom, followed by contemporary (29 percent), traditional (29 percent) and eclectic (28 percent).

•                  Forty-eight percent said they want their kitchens to say, “I’m modern,” 39 percent want their kitchens to say, “I’m stylish” and 35 percent want their kitchens to say, “I work hard, and I deserve this.”

•                  Forty-nine percent want their bathrooms to say, “I’m modern,” 40 percent want their bathrooms to say, “I’m stylish” and 36 percent want their bathrooms to say, “I’m clean/organized.”

Nearly one-half of homeowners said they plan to buy smart, internet-connected products for their kitchens, bathrooms or laundry rooms in the next year, with smart lighting systems the most popular product. More than one-half also said they plan to buy products with green, environmentally friendly features in the next year, with energy-efficient lighting the top product on homeowners’ wish lists.

•                  Forty-eight percent of homeowners said they plan on buying smart products for their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room in the next year.

•                  Smart products topping homeowners’ wish lists are: smart lighting systems (58 percent), hands-free faucets (52 percent) and Wi-Fi-enabled refrigerators (47 percent).

•                  Fifty-one percent of homeowners said they plan on buying products with green features for their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room in the next year.

•                  Most-wanted products with green features are: energy-efficient lighting (52 percent), energy-efficient dishwashers (49 percent), and water-conserving shower heads (45 percent), toilets (43 percent) and faucets (42 percent).

Nearly seven in 10 homeowners have hired a design/build professional for their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room renovation, with six in 10 having hired an interior designer.

•                  Sixty-eight percent of homeowners hired a design/build professional for their kitchen, bathroom or laundry room renovation. Sixty-one percent hired an interior designer, 58 percent hired a contractor and 45 percent hired an architect.

•                  Seventy-three percent of homeowners between the ages of 18-30 hired a design/build professional, whereas just 51 percent older than age 51 hired a professional.

•                  Eighty percent of homeowners living in the U.S. Northeast hired a design/build professional.

When choosing a contractor or interior design professional for home renovations, homeowners said a professional portfolio that shows examples of past projects matters most. They also highly value recommendations from friends or family members and online ratings and reviews when choosing a design/build professional for their renovations.

•                  Thirty-eight percent of homeowners said a professional’s portfolio of past projects matters most when making a decision.

•                  Thirty-five percent said a recommendation from a friend or family member is most important.

•                  Thirty-four percent said online ratings and reviews matter most. 

From a field of 20 celebrity home designers, homeowners named Nicole Curtis as their favorite, followed by David Bromstad and Nate Berkus.

•                  Nicole Curtis (12 percent)

•                  David Bromstad (11 percent)

•                  Nate Berkus (9 percent)

•                  Bobby Berk (8 percent)

•                  Christina Anstead (5 percent)

•                  Chip and Joanna Gaines (5 percent)

•                  Jonathan and Drew Scott (3 percent)

•                  Martha Stewart (3 percent)

“Designing a home is full of big decisions – with none more intimate than a kitchen and a bathroom,” said Wesley Ward, vice president of marketing at Hausera. “‘The Truth About Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations’ survey sheds light on a number of key attitudes, challenges and trends as a way of heading off frustrations that often accompany home remodeling projects and helping homeowners bring their creative visions to life.”

To download an e-book with the survey’s full results, go to https://www.hausera.com/media/2226/hausera_annual_remodel_survey_2019.pdf.

Commissioned by Hausera, “The Truth about Kitchen and Bathroom Renovations” survey was conducted by OnePoll, a marketing research company specializing in online quantitative research and polling, between July 25, 2019 – August 6, 2019. Feedback was obtained from 1,000 U.S. homeowners.