Remodelers have been involved with ‘healthy home’ projects for years. But how has their involvement in this trend changed? Are more firms engaging in healthy home projects than in the past? If remodelers are engaging, what types of projects are they completing? And how confident are they in their knowledge of healthy home projects?

To answer these questions, we partnered with the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard and surveyed 288 remodelers about their behaviors and perceptions related to projects and categories associated with health conditions in the home.

How many remodelers are engaged in healthy home projects?

In 2018, half of the respondents said they installed products or completed projects in recent years that address health concerns in the home.

Revenue from healthy home/indoor environmental quality products and projects increased more than any other category with the exception of Home Automation from 2014 to 2018. Remodelers in Western states are doing a little more healthy home projects than other regions. With 23% of remodelers in the west doing at least some health-related products/installs in at least half of their projects.

What types of healthy home projects are remodelers doing?

Of those remodelers involved in healthy home projects, nearly 70% reported using non-toxic paints or finishes, and 60% reported using non-toxic building materials.

This aligns with our research among homeowners, where toxic materials are a growing concern. Water filtration systems (55%), duct sealing (53%), whole house air filtration (51%) and noise insulation (50%) were also common.

How confident are remodelers about their knowledge of healthy home projects?

When asked about their confidence in advising clients on healthy home projects, 78% of remodelers involved in this segment said they were “extremely” or “very confident,” which is a 23% increase from 2014.

Furthermore, a significant portion of remodelers is initiating conversations with clients about healthy home projects or products. 46% of remodelers said their company routinely initiates the conversation about healthy home projects/products with clients. Additionally, 85% of remodelers believe that client knowledge of healthy home projects and products has increased compared to two years ago.

Challenges ahead, but growth will continue.

38% of remodelers cited specialized training requirements as a hurdle that needs to be overcome for increased adoption of healthy home products and projects.  33% brought up client financial constraints as a major challenge.

However, they also see major benefits of offering healthy home projects:

• Increasing customer satisfaction/loyalty (68%)
• Expanding their customer base (58%)
• Doing the “right thing” (56%)
• Gaining a competitive edge (54%)

Homeowners and remodelers are now working together, sharing ideas and defining needs as it relates to healthy home products and projects. We continue to see an increase in interest and revenue in healthy home-related products, and it’s only expected to grow.

When your company makes big decisions related to pro customers, you should know how pros think and feel about your specific brand, product and market. The Farnsworth Group has over 30 years of industry experience asking contractors the right questions and translating data into insights that help clients make informed decisions.

To discuss how research on specific segments of pros can help your company make better decisions, contact us at results@thefarnsworthgroup.com.