During the pandemic, we observed a notable surge in remodeling demand as the home came into focus more than ever before. This trend has continued, driven by strong market fundamentals such as accumulated home equity and an aging housing stock, which often requires maintenance like exterior upgrades.
Data from the 2023 U.S. Houzz & Home Study shows exterior renovations are a top priority for U.S. homeowners. What elements of home exteriors are being renovated the most?
It depends on where you live.
Whether due to climate, the latest trends or regionalized factors, exterior renovation preferences vary across the top 30 U.S. metropolitan areas.
Find out why Floridians are more likely to replace their roof while Boston homeowners opt for new windows and doors with the data, graphic and analysis below.
Big Takeaways
- Windows and paint top the list. The most popular exterior renovations for U.S. homeowners are windows or skylights and exterior paint (27% each), followed by roofing, exterior doors and gutters closely following (25%, 25% and 24%, respectively).
- Infrequent chimney updates. Chimneys are the least popular exterior renovation, followed by structural upgrades (8%) and siding/stucco (12%).
- Here comes the sunlight. Homeowners in West Coast cities - including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle - are most likely to replace their windows. Window upgrades are also popular among Boston homeowners.
- New paint jobs. Miami homeowners are the most likely to refresh their exterior paint (38%). Other top cities whose homeowners are hankering for fresh paint include Portland, San Diego, Orlando and Phoenix.
Most Popular Exterior Renovation Projects in Each Metro Area
Depending on where they live, homeowner preferences for exterior renovations vary and run the gamut from windows to doors. Click through the graphic below to view the interactive version of the map, which breaks down the top 5 exterior renovation projects for each metro area.
Top 5 Renovations Deep Dive: Which exterior renovations are most popular in each region?
While San Francisco homeowners prioritize windows, those in Philadelphia have their sights set on new gutters. Here’s a breakdown of which exterior projects are most likely by region. For this study, we looked at the 30 largest metro areas and ranked the top exterior renovation projects at the metro area level. Across all metro areas there were five categories that ranked the highest: window renovations, paint upgrades, new exterior doors, new roofing, and new gutters.
1. Window upgrades
Window upgrades, which tied with paint for the most popular exterior update nationally, serve both aesthetic and functional updates, often helping reduce energy bills with better seals and insulation. This year, homeowners in West Coast cities like San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Los Angeles are most likely to replace their windows, and San Francisco leads the pack (37%).
The East Coast outlier is Boston, where 36% of homeowners replaced windows. That figure is much higher than other similar northeastern cities like Philadelphia (27%).
2. Paint updates
A fresh coat of paint can modernize a home’s exterior, significantly contributing to its curb appeal. What’s more, it serves as an added layer of protection from the elements. So, it’s surprising that homeowners in cities with warm winters are most likely to update their exterior paint, including Miami, San Diego, Orlando and Phoenix (38%, 35%, 35% and 34%, respectively). An exception is Portland, where painting tops the list of exterior home updates (36%).
Meanwhile, homeowners in cities with colder winters are less likely to paint their exteriors, including Minneapolis (21%), New York (19%) and Philadelphia (17%).
3. New exterior doors
Similar to paint, exterior front doors can give a boost to a home’s curb appeal, especially with some of the bold hues that are popular today. New doors in the back of the home can help enhance the coveted indoor-outdoor connection. Homeowners in Miami and Boston are most likely to update their exterior doors (32% and 30%, respectively), followed by Dallas, Cincinnati and Baltimore (all 27%). In contrast, new doors are least likely in Sacramento (17%) and Denver (19%).
4. New roofing
Roof upgrades tend to be costly and infrequent. In fact, the 2023 U.S. Houzz & Home Study found that median spend on a new roof is $10,000. Despite this, one in four renovating homeowners replaces their roof (25%), and 18% hired a roofing specialist for their project. Perhaps due to required repairs due to damage from severe storms and hurricanes, homeowners in three Florida cities are most likely to replace their roofs with Orlando topping the list (42%), followed by Tampa (30%) and Miami (29%).
5. New gutters
While 25% of U.S. homeowners update their gutters during renovation projects, this jumps for those living in the Sunbelt. Orlando-based homeowners are most likely to update their gutters (34%), followed by Miami, Atlanta and Houston (all 28%). Philadelphia is the exception as the only top city looking for new gutters in the Northeast (29%).
Las Vegas homeowners are the least likely to replace their gutters (1%), likely due to the lack of rainfall and dry, arid climate.
America wants exterior home renovations
Americans continue to invest in their homes, and we’ve seen median spend increase among renovating homeowners for the past few years. There are several reasons for this:
- Rising mortgage rates and home prices have more people staying put and opting to upgrade their homes than relocate. Two in five don’t have plans of ever moving out (41%).
- The U.S. has an aging housing stock - the median age is 42 years old, and these aging homes need essential repairs and maintenance.
- Home equity is very strong, which gives homeowners confidence to invest in their homes.
- Inflation: Increase in prices for products and materials as well as services has caused the median spend to increase, as inflation is impacting all aspects of the home improvement process.
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