Homeowners spent more on home remodeling projects in 2021 than in the previous four years—20% more, spending a total of $624 billion in 2020 and 2021 combined. Motivated by increased time at home, Americans tackled 134 million renovation projects, crossing off some indefinitely postponed projects at the bottom of the to-do list.
While some industries took huge financial hits or even disappeared entirely during the global pandemic, home improvement companies thrived. Hobbies replaced vacations and social events, and novices tried baking sourdough, gardening, and home organizing. Those pesky idiosyncrasies of our homes that we used to live with suddenly became intolerable problems.
Belong, a property management alternative, used 2021 American Housing Survey data from the Census Bureau to find the 12 most popular home improvement projects. Rankings were based on the number of projects completed by U.S. homeowners over the past two years. The analysis also includes estimated costs, individually and nationally, which do not affect the ranking. Renovations (which involve moving, adding, or removing walls) are counted separately from remodels (which don’t include structural changes).