Which Home Improvement and Maintenance Services Are the Most Popular?
Updated: Feb. 17, 2023Some of the survey results may surprise you.
The Top Five Home Improvement and Maintenance Services
Every two years the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) conducts the Product Purchase Track Study, which analyzes homeowners’ purchase behavior, characteristics and attitudes related to home improvement. The 2020 edition of the study was recently made available to HIRI members, and it contains a wealth of information about which types of home improvement and maintenance services modern homeowners are willing to invest in.
HIRI surveyed more than 6,000 homeowners for the PPTS, gathering data on their purchasing habits and home improvement tendencies. Through the study, HIRI determined which home improvement services homeowners use and value the most and compile a thorough ranking of those services. Want to know where each one ranked? Here’s a rundown of the five home improvement and maintenance categories most popular among homeowners according to HIRI.
Note: The 2020 PPTS covers data from purchases that were made in 2019 and analyzed in 2020.Â
#5 Handyman Services
According to the survey, 12.3 percent of homeowners purchased handyman services in 2019. The majority said they hired handyman services because they could not or didn’t know how to do the work themselves. More than half of the respondents also said that they discovered the handyman service they eventually hired through a personal recommendation, while 12 precent said they made their decision based on an online referral.
#4 Plumbing Repair
The PPTS reported that 12.9 percent of surveyed homeowners purchased plumbing repair services in 2019. On average, those homeowners purchased plumbing repairs 1.3 times a year, spending an average of $373 per purchase.
#3 HVAC Repair & Maintenance
HVAC repair and maintenance was the third most popular home improvement purchase made in 2019, with 13.2 percent of surveyed homeowners reporting paying for those services. Of those homeowners, 71 percent said they hired out because it was something they could not do themselves, which makes sense due to the highly technical nature of HVAC work.
Interestingly, homeowners spent more on HVAC than any other service in the top five, spending an average of $812 annually.
#2 Pest & Insect Control
The survey said 13.5 percent of homeowners purchased pest and insect control services in 2019. For most, this decision was a matter of convenience. Forty-four percent of respondents said they did it to avoid doing the work themselves, while 10 percent said they hired out to save time.
#1 Lawn & Landscaping Services
Lawn and landscaping services were by far the most often purchased in 2019, with 18.6 percent of respondents reporting they did so, spending an average of $590 annually. Homeowners also sought out these services more frequently than any other in the top five, averaging 8.9 purchases a year.
