Contractor Update

Research and Markets has recently done a survey of 800 plus people who have had their kitchens remodeled. We thought it would be useful information for any contractors and companies out there who do kitchen renovation projects or who are kitchen designers.

Their study compiled data on the homeowner lifestyles, product shopping and purchasing patterns, kitchen remodeling details, media consumption, market segments, and trends in consumer tastes and preferences.

ConstructionDeal.com wants you to be informed. A knowledgeable remodeler will have a sales advantage over their competitors and our goal is to help your business succeed:

What People Do in their Kitchens

- The American kitchen is widely considered the 'hub' of the home. But what exactly are people doing in there? And how do the activities that take place in the kitchen impact design and the products that are purchased to go into the kitchen?

While the kitchen certainly remains the hub of the American home, it continues to evolve from being a strictly functional place in the home for preparing meals. Almost a third of American consumers now see their kitchen as a place where a variety of activities take place. Increasingly, people socialize, take medicines, manage their household, and care for pets in their kitchen.

- Busy lifestyles prevent the vast majority of people from preparing all of their meals at home every day. Only a third of Americans fix breakfast at home every day. Yet nearly three quarters frequently prepare dinner at home (5+ times a week).

- While the microwave has become as essential tool in the kitchen, the majority use it for the main dish for dinner two days a week or less frequently and dinner is rarely prepared from scratch.

- With cookbooks appearing on the best-seller list, viewership of cooking shows soaring and celebrity chefs becoming mainstream stars, it’s not surprising that more than seven out of ten consumers try a new recipe at least once a month.

The 'Ideal' Kitchen

- People describe their 'ideal' kitchen as "organized", "comfortable", "open", "warm", "family", "light", "happy" and "homey" - key words to use in designing products and marketing them.

- The number one appliance upgrade desired in an 'ideal' kitchen is a cooktop that features a built-in grill, wok, griddle or rotisserie attachment. Also strongly desired are commercial-grade appliances, a larger dishwasher to accommodate a wide variety of dishes, and a double oven.

Men may see appliance purchases as status symbols while women tend to see them with a more functional perspective.

- Innovative technologies in the kitchen with streamlined designs are becoming more mainstream though clearly are still not as hot as more functional products.

Cutting-edge technologies (TV screens built into appliances) have a much stronger appeal among men than women.

- The popularity of kitchen islands continues with the number one design feature on the wish list of survey participants being a central island cooktop.

- When asked which one item they would be willing to splurge on if they were changing their kitchen now, the top products mentioned were cabinets, range/oven/cooktop, countertops, refrigerator, island and flooring.

Kitchen Remodelers

- One in five households have remodeled or made improvements to their kitchen in the past 12 months.

- People describe their kitchen before the remodel or improvement as 'boring', 'cluttered', 'dark' and 'confining'.

- Clearly, the key driver behind kitchen remodels is that the current kitchen is 'out of date'.

- Designers or architects play a role in about one in five kitchen remodeling projects. As income increases, so does the likelihood of using a designer or architect for a kitchen remodeling project.

If remodelers had it to do over again, 50 percent more say they would use a designer or architect for their kitchen remodeling project.

- Close to two thirds of kitchen remodelers hired outside help to do at least some of the labor on their recent kitchen remodel.

- Some DIYers express a change of heart when it comes to how they would handle the labor next time – more would hire outside help for at least some of the project and fewer would do all the work themselves.

The main reason people choose to do all the labor on kitchen projects themselves is because they enjoy the process. The main reasons they choose to hire out all the labor are lack of time and skills needed.

- More than seven in ten remodelers purchased one or more appliances for their recent remodel or improvement. Virtually all remodelers purchased one or more of the design elements listed in the survey. Four in ten bought furniture and/or electronics for their kitchen remodel. Accessories, such as storage/organization features and cookware, were purchased by six in ten.

- Most all kitchen improvement projects produce a few surprises for the homeowner. The most frequently mentioned are how long the project took to complete and how much it cost.

- Stores, along with magazines, books and catalogs are mentioned most frequently as providing the best ideas for kitchen remodeling projects.

- More than three out of ten remodelers said they would spend more money on a kitchen remodel if they had to do it over, while only seven percent said they would spend less.

Looking at those who would spend more, the key things they would do differently next time are upgrade the cabinets and increase the size of the kitchen.

Labels: Small Business Advice