Women And Home Improvement Projects

Women And Home Improvement Projects

Women Take a Larger Role in Home Improvement Projects by Joanie Veitch

The interest in home improvement continues to grow, and it would seem that it’s women who are fueling today’s market.

A quick survey of the last 10,000 homeowners who used the RenovationExperts.com site, a premium network of over 3000 remodeling contractors, shows that women are as likely as men to be in charge of a remodeling project. Of the homeowners surveyed, 46 percent were women and 54 percent were men.

“We’re seeing a significant increase in the number of women looking for contractors for their home improvement projects. The female consumer now represents a huge amount of buying power in the industry,” said Craig Lucas, president of RenovationExperts.com.

The RenovationExperts.com information confirms what national statistics have been showing. According to a recent study conducted by the Home Improvement Research Institute, women account for more than $70 billion worth of purchases in the home improvement industry, up from just over $55 billion in 1995.

According to the 2005 Home Improvement Research Institute Survey, women take the lead in initiating both kitchen and bath remodeling projects, initiating 45 percent of kitchen remodeling projects and 43 percent of bathroom projects, compared to just 34 percent and 36 percent for men.

More and more women are buying their own power tools and using them for home improvement projects. The potential market is huge and smart companies — many of them headed by women — already see the opportunity.

Businesses such as Tomboy Tools, which sells tools for women at “tool parties” much like Tupperware, and Be Jane, Inc., the first online community dedicated solely to serving women in home improvement, are leading the way in empowering women in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

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Posted on November 03, 2005 17:11 | Home Improvement News
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