Over three quarters of the homeowners surveyed in a recent poll said severe weather influenced their renovation plans.

A new survey by one of the leading producers of fiber reinforced cement shows that homeowners are taking severe weather threats seriously and severe weather is a driving force on which projects they take up and how much they spend. James Hardie Industries commissioned a survey of 1,000 homeowners from Wakefield Research that is intended to “illustrate the impact of homeowners' concerns about severe weather on their home renovation spending and choices.”  The survey revealed that a vast majority, 76% to be exact, of homeowners reported that their renovation plans were influenced by the possibility of extreme severe weather events that have become more common over the last few years.  54% of surveyed homeowners responded that just the thought of extreme weather events influenced their decisions about home renovations.  "The impact of climate change and severe weather on home design and spending is something we have been closely watching for several years now. Homeowners are looking to protect their homes and their families inside those homes," says Fran Flanagan, Head of Consumer Insights at James Hardie --  “As the pandemic continues to give people more time at home, many homeowners are reassessing their properties to determine what needs to be done and in what order.” James Hardie's study confirms this trend: 87% of homeowners said they want to continue renovating in 2022.”  One interesting fact discovered by the survey is who are completing projects and how much is spent on average. The survey found that millennials completed more COVID-era projects than their Generation X counterparts, or their baby boomer grandparents. In addition, millennials spent much more money than other generations—an average of $40,600 for millennials compared to $10,000 and $11,000 for Gen x and boomers, respectively.

Source: MReport