2018Q4 Houzz Renovation Barometer - Architectural & Design Sector
Project Backlog Indicator declined to 5.1 weeks nationally in Q4 (down 0.5 weeks relative to Q3): Overall backlog for the architectural and design services sector held steady year over year. Among the two reporting business groups, architects’ project backlog increased to 5.1 weeks (up 0.6 weeks relative to Q3), while interior designers’ backlog decreased to 5.2 weeks (down 2.2 weeks). See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
The Recent Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new projects increased to 60 in Q3 (up three points relative to Q2): The uptick follows an increase in both recent project inquiry activity, which increased to 62 in Q3 (up three points), and recent new project activity, which increased to 58 (up four points). Among the two reporting business groups, the overall recent activity increased for interior designers to 63 (up eight points), while architects’ activity increased to 58 (up one point). See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
The Expected Business Activity Indicator related to project inquiries and new projects decreased to 64 in Q4 (down five points relative to Q3): Expectations for project inquiries declined to 63 in Q3 (down five points), and expectations for new projects declined to 65 in Q4 (down four points). Among the two reporting business groups, architects reported decreasing overall expectations to 58 (down eight points), interior designers’ expectations held steady at 74. See additional subsector and regional data (PDF).
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