Homeowners are returning to home-remodeling projects as the economy thaws, according to a new survey, though they remain tentative and large-scale makeovers are no longer the norm. The analysis by in Golden found that in the second quarter of the year, home-remodeling projects, though picking up, are shrinking to more manageable and affordable sizes, such as countertops or small bathrooms.
“It seems homeowners in general are now cautiously but increasingly optimistic about home improvement as a valuable investment in their homes,” Service Magic chief executive Craig Smith said. “The landscape may have changed due to the recession, but … the home-improvement sector appears to be recovering.”
Indeed, homeowners say they’re looking at projects as a way of improving the value of their home in a small way, in part to combat the downturn in the housing market.
“We can’t really remodel our entire kitchen as we’d like, perhaps at some point, but we can do the smaller projects,” said David Delagarza, whose northwest Denver home is undergoing a countertop renewal.
Small-scale projects
Doing the work themselves saves enough to help fund other projects, said Delagarza, a civil engineer. That includes new cabinets and forms for the concrete countertop.
“We couldn’t really afford what we’re doing if we were paying contractors,” he said.
The survey of 1.3 million online homeowner service requests found that nationally, small projects in the kitchen and bathroom were picking up, mostly in the South. ServiceMagic connects homeowners with prescreened home-service professionals.
Still in decline are the larger projects, such as house additions and multiple-room remodelings, the survey found.
Also, the number of homeowners looking to boost the enjoyment of their homes — the “staycation” syndrome — continued to increase.
“It makes a lot of financial sense to stay in your house and remodel it in the face of today’s economy and the dismal state of the real estate market,” said William Hirsch, author of “Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons From an Architect.”
In Denver, ServiceMagic found that home-improvement projects in the last quarter are still behind from a year earlier, but maintenance and repair plans are rising.
Staying put, remodeling
Locally, stores are seeing customers focused on upkeep.
“They’re keeping their homes longer because they can’t sell them,” said Mark DeCaluwe of the East Ninth Avenue Ace Hardware store in Denver.
Similarly, big-box stores such as Home Depot have seen a recent surge in the number of do-it-yourself projects.
“In a tough or down economy (homeowners) can save half the price of a project by doing it themselves,” Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said. “People are staying put and making their own homes a bit nicer.”
That’s what Superior resident Ken Cameron thought when he hired Steve Christie to remodel a bathroom.
It wasn’t a major redo, he said, but enough to make a difference.
“We thought we could give it a more comfortable touch,” said Cameron, 54.
Christie said his business, Christie’s Complete Services, is getting more work from people sticking with their homes instead of selling.
“There’s not much of an incentive right now to selling your home and moving next to a golf course,” he said. “People are simply adjusting their home for when they get older.”
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
