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The Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2026 Home Improvement Insights Summit, held Sept. 29-30 in Minneapolis, examined economic conditions, customer behavior, market research, project spending and sales channels. Presenters reported that HIRI forecasts 2.5% growth in the home improvement products market in 2026 in current dollars, but a 1.5% decline after inflation; a Houzz study found 22% of homeowners use AI for renovation.
The Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2026 Home Improvement Insights Summit brought industry leaders to Minneapolis on Sept. 29-30 to discuss economic pressures, customer decisions and technology. Presentations included HIRI’s forecast of 2.5% market growth in 2026 in current dollars, alongside a projected 1.5% contraction after inflation, underscoring how price changes shape the industry’s outlook.
The summit organized its sessions around five themes: macroeconomics, the customer journey, data and market research, home improvement project spending, and sales channels. Speakers examined how inflation, home affordability, mortgage rates and income affect homebuilding and homebuying, as well as how consumers choose contractors, products and retailers.
Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis at the National Association of Home Builders, discussed economic conditions affecting the housing market. She noted that the median age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40, compared with 29 in 1981. HIRI’s Dave King, OpenBrand chief economist Ralph McLaughlin and S&P Global director Michael Zdinak also addressed affordability, mortgage rates and income in relation to buyers.
Other sessions focused on professional contractors and homeowner use of AI. Grant Farnsworth, president of The Farnsworth Group, presented findings from the Q2 2026 Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker and the Farnsworth Contractor Index for Q3. The reported index score for contractors’ confidence in securing business during the next six months was 8.2 out of 10. Houzz senior vice president of marketing Liza Hausman presented research indicating that 22% of homeowners use AI for renovation, and that 25% of renovation dollars are in households using AI to help.
Inflation Changes the Market Outlook
The figures presented at the summit point to a split between nominal sales growth and purchasing power. HIRI’s 2.5% forecast is measured in current dollars; its forecast after inflation is a 1.5% market contraction. The distinction matters to retailers and manufacturers planning sales, inventory and investment: revenue measured in dollars may rise even as the volume or real value of market activity weakens.
Affordability and customer confidence also affect whether homeowners proceed with projects and how they pay for them. The reported contractor sentiment score and Houzz’s AI-use findings offer industry snapshots, not guarantees of future demand. Together, they show why businesses are watching both economic indicators and changing ways customers research renovation decisions.
King said manufacturers should focus on reducing uncertainty for customers in the coming quarter. That advice reflects a practical challenge identified across the sessions: customers weighing costs, project needs and recommendations may delay or change plans when the decision feels risky.
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From Housing Costs to AI Research
The summit’s economic discussion placed current home improvement activity alongside longer-term changes in housing access. Nanayakkara-Skillington’s comparison of first-time buyer ages—40 now, versus 29 in 1981—was presented as part of a discussion of inflation and other factors affecting homebuilding and homebuying. The report did not provide further detail on the calculation or the dataset behind that comparison.
HIRI also used the meeting to bring together its own market reporting and outside research. King cited HIRI’s Q3 2026 Size of the Home Improvement Products Market Report and Forecast, while Farnsworth presented contractor sentiment work conducted with HIRI and Hausman discussed Houzz research. Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House, spoke about maintaining the brand’s relevance by educating audiences and earning trust rather than appearing transactional.
The program connected those topics: economic conditions shape budgets, market research tracks demand, and digital tools may affect how households gather advice. The reported AI figures describe homeowners’ use of these tools and the share of renovation dollars in those households; they do not, by themselves, establish that AI caused spending or project decisions.
“Take uncertainty out of the customer’s decision in the coming quarter.”
— Dave King, HIRI
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Limits of the Summit Findings
The summit report summarizes selected presentations but does not provide the full underlying datasets, methods or confidence ranges for the market forecast, contractor index or Houzz figures. It is therefore unclear from the report how the figures compare with earlier readings or how representative each survey is. The 8.2 out of 10 contractor score is reported for confidence in getting business over the next six months; the source does not state a prior-period baseline for comparison.
It is also unclear how the reported use of AI affects renovation outcomes, spending totals or contractor selection. The report gives the share of homeowners using AI and the portion of renovation dollars associated with those households, but does not establish a causal relationship. HIRI’s market figures are forecasts, not final results, and actual activity may differ as economic conditions change.
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Businesses Watch the Coming Quarter
HIRI’s stated focus for manufacturers is the coming quarter: reduce uncertainty for customers as they make home improvement decisions. The summit recap points to continued attention on affordability, inflation, contractor demand and the role of AI in research and recommendations.
The next useful markers will be updated market data and sentiment readings, alongside evidence on whether homeowner plans and contractor workloads match the current forecasts. HIRI’s 2026 market estimate remains a projection, so readers should distinguish it from eventual full-year results.
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Key Questions
When and where was HIRI’s 2026 summit?
The Home Improvement Insights Summit took place in Minneapolis on Sept. 29-30, 2026.
What did HIRI forecast for the home improvement products market?
HIRI forecast 2.5% growth in 2026 in current dollars, but a 1.5% decline after inflation. These are forecast figures, not final market results.
What did the summit report about AI use in renovation?
Houzz research presented by Liza Hausman found that 22% of homeowners use AI for renovation. The presentation also reported that 25% of renovation dollars are in households that use AI to help.
How confident were contractors about getting business?
The Q3 2026 Farnsworth Contractor Index figure reported at the summit was 8.2 out of 10 for contractors’ confidence in securing business over the next six months. The recap does not provide a comparison baseline.
What remains uncertain about the summit’s figures?
The recap does not include full research methods or datasets for every figure. It also does not show that AI use caused renovation spending or decisions, and HIRI’s 2026 market numbers remain forecasts.
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