Regional differences and similarities
Who says the nation is divided?
In all four regions of the country, the growing, flowering project category of “lawn, garden and landscaping” ranks No. 1 on the to-do list of homeowners, according to the first-quarter results of the Home Improvement Research Institute’s regularly updated Sentiment Tracking study.
And that’s not the only similarity in sentiment — homeowners in all four regions rank “kitchen” projects No. 2 on their lists of likely projects in the next three months.
Also consistent is the national project planning incidence across the United States.
The proportion of homeowners who are planning one or more projects in the next three months has held relatively stable over the past year. There have been declines in the Northeast, South and Midwest, and a slight increase in the West. According to HIRI, these shifts are not deemed to be statistically significant.
Differences lurk below the surface, of course. The extent of lawn and garden’s lead varies by region. The highest planning rate is in the West (31.3%), and the lowest lies in the Northeast (18.9%).
Further differences emerge in the regional breakdown in the projects ranked third, fourth and fifth in likelihood. The table to the right provides the breakdown.
Among categories that don’t fall in national top fives, major regional discrepancies appear in planning for the following projects:
Basement: In the Midwest, 13.2% of homeowners are planning a basement project, compared with only 3.5% in the South.
Swimming pool/hot tub: In the West, 10.5% of homeowners are planning a pool-related project in the next three months, compared with only 3.0% in the Midwest.
Home office: In the West, 11.8% are planning a home office project, compared with only 5.8% in the South.
Guest bath: In the West, 8.4% are planning such a project, compared with 2.8% in the Northeast.
The Project Sentiment Tracking Survey provides leading indicators of overall levels of project planning and tracks key consumer attitudes toward home and home improvement. For more information, visit HIRI.org.