September 29, 2026
SUMMIT: 2026 Home Improvement Insights Summit
The HIRI Home Improvement Summit brings together manufacturers, retailers, partners and all whose success is tied to the home improvement industry. Most attendees work in strategy, insights and marketing and come to the Summit to network, craft smarter strategies, improve planning, and make better decisions.
August 25, 2026
Blog
3 Ways You Can Win Without Waiting for Interest Rates to Drop
In 2026, dollar growth in the home improvement products market is hiding a real decline. While the market is projected to grow roughly 2.6% in current dollars, it is actually contracting by about -1.4% when taking into account inflation.
August 25, 2026
Blog
How Inflation Is Hiding the Real Story in the Building Products Market
The home improvement market is in a complex state in 2026. In a nutshell, nominal spending has been growing, despite softer demand. However, that doesn’t capture the full story, where inflation is driving nominal growth but actually causing market contractions for both the professional and consumer segment.
August 25, 2026
Webinar
WEBINAR: HIRI Home Improvement Industry & Recent Research Update - August 2026
Join HIRI Executive Director Dave King for a timely update on the latest home improvement market trends, featuring actionable insights from HIRI's newest research on homeowner behavior, contractor sentiment, and emerging market opportunities.
August 21, 2026
Blog
3 Reasons Why Homeowners Are Delaying Home Improvement Projects in 2026
More than halfway through 2026, the home improvement industry is facing a confidence recession. Both homeowner and contractor sentiment has turned negative for the first time since the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) started quarterly tracking among each customer segment.
August 13, 2026
Fast Fact
HIRI now forecasts 2.6% growth for the U.S. home improvement products market in 2026, accelerating to an average 3.8% a year from 2027 to 2029.
The market is projected to reach $540.1 billion in 2026, up from a revised $526.5 billion in 2025, according to HIRI's U.S. Home Improvement Products Market Forecast. Growth keeps building each year after that, pushing the market past $600 billion by 2029.
August 13, 2026
Fast Fact
Construction employment jumped 340% from June to July despite the broader economy losing 23,000 jobs in July.
Construction's unemployment rate fell to 3.7%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National unemployment fell to 4.1%, but July's jobs report flipped negative, a reversal from June's 20,000 gain.
August 13, 2026
Fast Fact
Consumer home improvement spending is projected to grow faster than professional spending in 2026, a reversal from 2025.
Consumer spending fell 1.7% in 2025 but is projected to rebound 3.7% in 2026, per HIRI's U.S. Home Improvement Products Market Forecast. Professional spending moved the opposite direction, surging 6.9% in 2025 before growth cools to just 1.0% in 2026 by current forecasts.
August 13, 2026
Fast Fact
The remodeling industry's future outlook fell to borderline-poor in Q2 2026, even as current conditions held positive.
The "current" and "future" conditions readings on the NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index both remain above 50. An index above 50 indicates that a higher share of remodelers view conditions as good rather than poor. Still, the future conditions reading slipped from 54 to 52 in Q2 2026, a sign that while remodelers feel more confident today, they are currently feeling less certain about the future.
July 29, 2026
Blog
What HIRI's June 2026 Home Improvement Forecast Means to Manufacturers
Entering the second half of 2026, the home improvement industry is in a state of ambiguity. While many product categories are seeing higher dollar spend, this perceived growth is entirely driven by inflation. When inflation is taken into consideration, product growth is in decline across almost every major category.
July 29, 2026
Fast Fact
Homeowners flip negative on planned spending, as 30% plan to spend less on home improvement.
Households turned negative on home improvement spending for the first time in five quarters. 30% of homeowners now plan to spend less on home improvement over the next 12 months, versus only 27% who plan to spend more. This represents a reversal from Q1's even split.
July 29, 2026
Fast Fact
Average home improvement spend more than doubled this quarter, even as fewer homeowners took on projects.
Only 38% of homeowners completed a home improvement project in the last 90 days, the lowest share in five quarters. Simultaneously, average spend among those active households more than doubled in a single quarter.
July 29, 2026
Fast Fact
Homeowner caution deepened across all project cost categories this quarter.
Sentiment worsened across all project cost categories in Q2. For projects under $5,000, more homeowners called it a bad time to start than a good time for the first time in five quarters, 34% versus 32%. The $5,000 to $25,000 bracket posted a four percentage point increase in negative sentiment. Positive sentiment toward $25,000-plus projects softened, decreasing by a three percentage points.
July 29, 2026
Fast Fact
27% of homeowners have now received a quote for a project that has not started yet, a statistically significant increase.
Even as fewer homeowners started new projects this quarter, more pushed further into the planning pipeline. Quote requests rose from 17% to 20%, and that momentum carried through to an actual bid for a growing share of households, a clear sign of progress.
July 29, 2026
Fast Fact
28% of homeowners now have no home improvement project planned for the next year, a five-quarter high.
The share of homeowners planning no project of $5,000 or more over the next year climbed to a statistically significant five-quarter high this quarter, rising four percentage points.
July 24, 2026
Blog
Home Improvement Activity Shows Signs of Cooling in Q2 of 2026
Fewer homeowners are starting home improvement projects this quarter, but the ones who are moving forward are spending significantly more. Here's what HIRI's Q2 2026 Homeowner Project Activity Tracker reveals, and what it means for the home improvement industry.
July 23, 2026
Webinar
WEBINAR: HIRI Home Improvement Market Forecast & Quarterly Tracker Briefing - July 2026
Join HIRI Executive Director Dave King for an exclusive briefing on the latest home improvement market trends, featuring new insights from HIRI’s Homeowner Project Activity Tracker, Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker, and U.S. Home Improvement Products Market Size research. Gain timely data and forecasts to help your organization navigate evolving market conditions and plan with confidence.
July 17, 2026
Blog
7 Differences Driving Home Improvement Behaviors Among Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers in 2026
It’s no surprise that consumers of differing ages and in differing life stages have varying preferences and purchase motivations when it comes to selecting home improvement products.
June 26, 2026
Blog
Hardware Market Watch: Trends in Locks, Fasteners, Gate and Decorative Hardware in 2026
How do customers shopping for hardware behave, and what kind of projects do they undertake? What are their top product preferences? And, how does the state of the economy affect the hardware industry?
June 26, 2026
Blog
Key Industry Trends Driving MEP Product Sales in 2026-2030
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) projects tend to happen under the surface and behind the wall, but they're critical to maintaining the functionality and comfort of a home. With an aging housing inventory, these types of projects will be as important as ever in the coming years.
