Welcome to The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI)

A membership based, independent, not-for-profit organization of manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and allied organizations in the home improvement industry.  Its mission is to be recognized as the primary authority for effective, useful information about home improvement products and services in North America. The membership of HIRI currently represents over 80 of the leading firms in the industry...More...

J-U-S-T  R-E-C-E-N-T-L-Y  R-E-L-E-A-S-E-D

2009 Reference Guide for the Home Improvement Market

This 245-page compendium of U.S. home improvement market data provides an at-your-fingertips guide to the many driving forces for this industry.  Included in this document are sections on market size, excerpts from major HIRI studies, national population, employment, personal income, consumer expenditures, residential improvements & repairs, housing, industry contact sources and various reference material.  Save valuable Internet surfing time by ordering this brand new guide now!  Many HIRI members tell us they keep a copy of this guide within easy reach at all times.  More.... 
     

JUST RELEASED - 5th Edition

Gender Roles in Home Improvement (2009)

A new 179-page special report derived from information collected in the 2008 HIRI Product Purchase Tracking Study and 2007 Project Decision Study highlighting the different roles played by females and males in the home improvement industry. Specific focus is given to the aspects of their project involvement, product purchasing, most common shopping methods & outlet types employed, sources of information used and a 6-cluster grouping of major lifestyle segments. More...

JUST RELEASED - 2nd Edition

Generational Age Group Analysis of Home Improvement Activity (2008)

Major age groupings of Matures (born before 1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1978) and Echo Boomers (1979-1991) are compared with each other in this 81-page report derived from information in the 2008 HIRI Product Purchase Tracking Study and 2007 Project Decision Study. Specific areas of focus include products purchased, projects undertaken, home services hired, typical shopping methods and information sources used. Attitudinal data is also included for each regarding their views of homeownership and home improvement activities along with a 6-cluster grouping of different major segments. More...

JUST RELEASED - 3rd Edition

Recent Home Buyer Survey (2008)

This new 73-page report provides a detailed analysis of homeowner home improvement activity since moving into either a newly built home or an existing home in the past 12-month period prior to March/April 2008.  It also includes what was done to get a previously owned home ready for sale.  Surveyed were 551 buyers of previously existing homes and a second set of 550 buyers of newly constructed ones.  More....

NEW REPORTS NOW AVAILABLE

2007 Product Category Drill-Down Study                        

In 13 separate product category reports, U.S. homeowners were asked about their individual product item purchases within them over the past 12-month period.  Questioning "drilled-down" deeper than any previous HIRI studies with 500 homeowner respondents for each of the 13 home improvement product category groupings.  All this information is available for only a very small fraction of what it would cost for you to replicate on your own. More... 

NOW AVAILABLE

2008 Product Purchase Tracking Study

This 11th edition of our biennial "bellwether" Product Purchase Tracking Study study of 1,754 homeowners is now available for sale to non-member companies. In it, these homeowners told us about their buying of 228 individual home improvement product items in 14 major product categories, involvement in 37 different major project types and hiring of 21 paid home services. Also included is their use of the Internet & other information sources for these purposes as well as a segmentation analysis based on responses to attitudinal statements coupled with their reported home improvement activity.  Available for sale in its entirety or by major product category section. More...

2007 Home Improvement E-Business Tracking Survey - June

Conducted by telephone in June 2007 with 683 U.S. homeowners, this report analyzes levels of online research & purchasing activity for both products in general and home improvement ones over the past year and their stated intentions of doing the same over the next 12 months.  Other areas explored include major reasons for buying online and researching a product on the Internet but not purchasing it there.  New focus is given in this current study wave to the importance of prior online research in the ultimate purchase decision made regardless of whether bought online or in a retail store. More...

2007 Online In-Depth Study of Home Improvement E-Business Activity - August

This study covers the many details involved in the experiences of 300 homeowners over the past year who had either researched or purchased a home improvement product online.  Areas of specific focus are on the number & type of products reseached and purchased, their satisfaction with each aspect and the number & types of websites used in doing this. More...

2007 Remodeling Professional E-Business Research - July

A sample of 519 residential remodelers was queried online in late June/early July of 2007 regarding their use of  the Internet for business purposes.  Highlighted are top Internet activities engaged in and their frequencies, most valuable and difficult aspects for business use, most important reasons for buying & not buying needed products online, types of websites they use & their satisfaction with them and their suggestions for improvements. More...