Homeowners Will Spend as Much as—or More Than—They Did Last Year on Renovations

Spring is just around the corner and that means we’re approaching the prime time for home renovations. Once the frost is gone, everyone gets ready to tackle their to-do list of chores and repairs. Angie’s List, a website with reviews of local home improvement companies, recently surveyed over 1,200 users to see how they planned to renovate their homes in 2017—how much money they were going to spend and what kind of projects they were going to take on.

For the most part, users aren’t hesitating to spend money on updating their houses. “Our annual survey shows that 72 percent of our members are planning to spend as much or more than they did last year on home renovation,” Angie’s List founder Angie Hicks said in a press release. And they’re looking to enhance curb appeal, too: “Most of them plan updates for their kitchens and bathrooms, but outdoor spaces are a focal point as well.”

RELATED: Here’s How Much People Spend on Kitchen Renovations

For home services, homeowners aren’t afraid of opening their wallets and hiring experts—half of users said they would pay for professional lawn and yard work. The survey results also showed that people are more likely to hire professionals for odd jobs, electrical work, housecleaning and interior painting, and carpet cleaning.

When updating their houses, homeowners are looking to transform their rooms into specialized spaces. And since more and more people are working from home (or want telecommuting jobs), 57 percent of users have dedicated space for a home office. Other common specialized spaces include rec rooms, libraries or studies, and “man caves.”