Remodeling upturn to carry into 2022
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Growth in improvement and repair expenditures to owner-occupied homes is expected to remain solid throughout the year and into 2022, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity released recently by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The LIRA projects a healthy pace of midsingle-digit gains in annual home renovation and repair spending this year, with 4.8 percent growth by the first quarter of next year.
“With a financial boost from recent federal stimulus payments and strong house-price appreciation, homeowners are continuing to invest in the upkeep and improvement of their homes,” said Chris Herbert, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies. “This lift in incomes and ongoing strength of the housing market are providing homeowners incentives to make even greater investments in their homes this year.”
“Although the recent surge in DIY activity is slackening as the economy continues to open up, homeowners are undertaking larger discretionary renovations that had been deferred during the pandemic,” added Abbe Will, associate project director in the Remodeling Futures Program at the center. “A shift to more professional projects should boost annual homeowner remodeling expenditures to $370 billion by early next year.”
The LIRA provides a short-term outlook of national home-improvement and repair spending to owneroccupied homes. The indicator, measured as an annual rate of change of its components, is designed to project the annual rate of change in spending for the current quarter and subsequent four quarters, and is intended to help identify future turning points in the business cycle of the home-improvement and repair industry. Originally developed in 2007, the LIRA was rebenchmarked in April 2016 to a broader market measure, based on the biennial American Housing Survey.
The LIRA is released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University in the third week after each quarter’s closing. The next LIRA release date will be July 15.
The Remodeling Futures Program, initiated by the Joint Center for Housing Studies in 1995, is a comprehensive study of the factors influencing the growth and changing characteristics of housing-renovation and repair activity in the United States. The program seeks to produce a better understanding of the home-improvement industry and its relationship to the broader residential construction industry.
The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy. Through its research, education and public-outreach programs, the center helps leaders in government, business and the civic sectors make decisions that effectively address the needs of cities and communities. Through graduate and executive courses, as well as fellowships and internship opportunities, the center also trains and inspires the next generation of housing leaders. For more information, visit