Houzz Stat: Confidence slips for outdoor firms

Landscape and outdoor specialties see optimism dip from one year ago. Scores are up compared with the previous quarter for landscape and outdoor specialty firms, as well as specialty building and renovation firms. Landscape and outdoor specialties include landscape architects, designers and contractors; outdoor replacement trades such as pavers; and outdoor product installers, manufacturers and resellers of items such as pools and spas. But notably, the scores for these two groups are down compared with one year earlier. Weather has a much bigger effect on these two groups than on the others.

Northeast firms are feeling less buoyant. Compared with other regions, building or renovation specialty firms and outdoor or landscaping specialty firms in the Northeast are projecting weaker confidence than is typical for the beginning of the year. Other industry groups in the Northeast are also indicating relatively weaker confidence. The Houzz research team attributes the weakness to mid-March storms; bad weather can depress business activity for these specialty firms in particular.

Click here for the full Q1 2017 Houzz Renovation Barometer.