Americans have been spending quite a bit of time in their homes this past year, so it is no surprise that many took the opportunity to spruce up their surroundings with home improvement projects.
Bid-On-Equipment recently analyzed over 2,700 Google search terms to find out what types of home improvement projects Americans have been taking on this past year. They also surveyed 870 American homeowners to learn exactly how much they have spent on home improvement during the pandemic and also if they have DIY regrets.
Listed below are the most popular home improvement projects during the pandemic for each state in America:
- Alabama – Paint the exterior of a house
- Alaska – Install a bathroom toilet
- Arizona – Remodel a bathroom
- Arkansas – Paint a brick house
- California – Remodel a kitchen
- Colorado – How to paint cabinets
- Connecticut – How to install a fence
- Delaware – How to install a bathroom toilet
- Washington D.C. – How to remodel a kitchen
- Florida – How to remodel a bathroom
- Georgia – How to paint an exterior of a house
- Hawaii – how to install a bathroom toilet
- Idaho – How to install a fence
- Illinois – How to remodel a bathroom
- Indiana – How to install a fence
- Iowa – How to lay landscaping blocks
- Kansas – How to remodel a kitchen
- Kentucky – How to paint cabinets
- Louisiana – How to paint a brick house
- Maine – How to install a bathroom toilet
- Maryland – How to remodel a bathroom
- Massachusetts – How to install hardwood floors
- Michigan – How to remodel a bathroom
- Minnesota – How to install a fence
- Mississippi – How to paint a brick house
- Missouri – How to paint a front door
- Montana – how to install a bathroom toilet
- Nebraska – How to remodel a bathroom for seniors
- Nevada – How to install a ceiling fan
- New Hampshire – Tiling shower base
- New Jersey – How to renovate a bathroom
- New Mexico – Stucco paint
- New York – How to renovate a kitchen
- North Carolina – How to install a fence
- North Dakota – Klearvue cabinet installation
- Ohio – how to install a fence
- Oklahoma – Ceramic tile installation
- Oregon – How to paint the exterior of a house
- Pennsylvania – How to paint kitchen cabinets
- Rhode Island – How to install a bathroom toilet
- South Carolina – How to paint the exterior of a house
- South Dakota – Faux shiplap backsplash
- Tennessee – How to paint the exterior of a house
- Texas – How to remodel a bathroom
- Utah – Vinyl fence installation
- Vermont – Faux shiplap installation
- Virginia – How to remodel a bathroom
- Washington – How to paint the exterior of a house
- West Virginia – How to put nailing in hardwood floors
- Wisconsin – How to install a fence
- Wyoming – How to paint cabinets white
General home improvement trends during the COVID-19 pandemic
Overall, 89% of American respondents have made an improvement to their home during the COVID-19 pandemic. When it comes to doing the home improvement projects themselves or opting to hiring a professional contractor, 58% said they tackled the project themselves ,27% hired a professional contractor and 15% said they did a mix of both.
Budgets for home improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic
The average spend on home improvement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic was $3,797. Over 10% of Americans surveyed said that they made an improvement to their home for the firsts time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Listed below are the top breakdown for home improvement budgets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. $1K-$5K (30% of respondents)
2. $500-$1K (21% of respondents)
3. $100-$500 (18% of respondents)
4. $5K-$10K (12% of respondents)
5. $10K-$25K (8% of respondents)
6. Less than $100 (5% of respondents)
7. $25K-$50K (4% of respondents)
8. More than $50K (2% of respondents)
As you can see the typical range for a home improvement project costs close to $4,000, however some homeowners found themselves spending way north of that during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most common home improvement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic
Homeowners were asked about which projects they did the most during the past year.
Listed below area the most common responses for American homeowners during the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. Exterior of the home (86%)
2. The bathroom or multiple bathrooms (45%)
3. The kitchen area in the home (43%)
4. The living room (38%)
5. The dining room (21%)
6. The master bedroom (20%)
7. The entryway (17%)
8. The garage (17%)
9. The basement of the home (13%)
10. A bedroom or multiple bedrooms (11%)
11. I renovated the entire home (4%)
As you can see, many of the most popular home improvement projects from the survey aligned with the most popular home improvement projects from the Google search trends analysis. The bathroom area and the kitchen were two of the most popular areas for home improvement for American homeowners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Home improvement regrets during the COVID-19 pandemic
With the rise in the number of Americans taking on home improvement projects during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise of Americans who say they regret doing the home improvement project itself.
Overall, 27% of American homeowners said that they regret some part of their home improvement project that they completed within the last year of the pandemic. When asked about the top reasons for home improvement regrets, these were the top answers given:
1. The home improvement project took far too long (77% of respondents)
2. The home improvement project ended up costing too much (57% of respondents)
3. I was disappointed with the results of the DIY project (32%)
4. The home improvement project was too complicated, and I should have hired a professional to do the home improvement project for me (12%)
As you can see length of the project and price of the project were the two most common reasons for having DIY home improvement regrets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Infographic by: bid-on-equipment
