Although life has been at a standstill for the past 2 months due to COVID-19, our homes don't stop aging from the normal wear and tear. At the same time, many locals are getting restless staying at home and tackling the improvement projects that they always wanted to get done.
In Reno's Juniper Trails neighborhood, Brooklyn Joiner and her husband found the time to make some changes: "We demo'd out a fireplace and we put in 2 4x6 windows so we get to see the beautiful backyard." Her contractor Roger Tiscareno, co-owner of Prestige Building Solutions added, “And raising the garage header so they can access their boat easier."
If you're home, it’s a time to catch up...using the downtime to do a remodel. As Brooklyn put it, “This is the perfect time to actually get some projects done on our honey to-do list." Roger told me, "Wow we're super busy right now. I just think with everything going on, for us staying busy has been good."
Nationwide the home improvement industry is swamped, as more folks working from home means more attention being paid to that "to do" list. Home Depot and Lowe’s stores all over the country have had big lines outside their doors from folks who have a lot of spare time. According to Bloomberg News, February through April foot traffic at Home Depot went up 10% from a year ago. Lowe’s saw an even bigger spike: 21%. And that came at the same time visits to other retailers collapsed.
In the Caughlin Ranch area, Jay Hatchett and his Prestige Building Solutions crew are working a home project, giving a large deck some new life: "There were some failing supports underneath the deck due to age and water damage and things like that." He says business “has been slammed. We've been real, real busy. Everybody's been home and seeing all the projects they need to do and fixing decks." They're doing more jobs that needed to be done years earlier, when people were too busy: "A lot of things around the house that have been neglected, like siding and things like that."
And with rising home values, more homeowners are spending more on theirs. Some projects can really pay off when it comes time to sell. What's popular now to get the biggest return? Jay says, "Siding. And adding an addition, where you're increasing the square footage of your home. Or building decks, all those things seem to add value and are really hot items right now." Roger adds, "Bathroom remodels and upgrading windows, definitely for sure."
Time, and money well spent.
