Home Renovations Were Always Tough. Now Many Are Giving Up Mid-Project.
Labour shortages and high demand have meant months-long slowdowns for people waiting to fix up their homes
4 min
USA: A surge of home renovations in recent years combined with a shortage of contractors is turning more repairs and remodels into never-ending nightmares.
New homeowners and those renovating always expect projects to require more time and money than their contractor estimates. But for many, the costs have become so high and the waits so long that some are now abandoning projects midway, forcing them to live among half-finished renovations for months. Others are taking up the drywall themselves.
A renovation now takes 79 days on average, up 259% from 22 days in 2019, according to Jobber, an operations-management company whose software is used by home-service professionals. Remodelling is more expensive: Hourly wages for general construction workers are up 42% over the same period, from $35 to $49, according to insurance analytics firm Verisk. Material costs have climbed, too.
The Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates by another quarter percentage point on Wednesday, a decision that will likely continue to suppress purchases of new homes. More people who had planned to move may now stay put and renovate their existing property, says Abbe Will, a researcher at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Spending on home-improvement and repair projects in the U.S. increased by an estimated 15% in 2022 to a record $567 billion, following an 11% increase in 2021, according to a report issued Thursday by Harvard’s housing studies centre. Historical growth has averaged around 5%, says Ms. Will, the lead author.
Baxter Townsend and David Zlotnick thought buying an outdated Manhattan apartment and renovating it would be more affordable than new construction. Over a year and $250,000 into a remodel quoted to take a maximum of 15 weeks and around $100,000, they say they regret their decision.
The couple had to pay to completely redo the electrical work after Mr. Zlotnick tripped a circuit and sent sparks flying by plugging in a vacuum. The tiles in the primary bathroom are crooked and the sinks askew. Still, they dismissed the design firm they had been working with this month so they could finally move back home.
“We’re like, ‘Pack up and get out. It’s been a year. Please leave,’ ” says Mr. Zlotnick, who works in international shipping logistics. They plan to hire a different firm to finish the project, if they can find one.
New recruits needed
Those renovations and repairs can’t happen quickly without an influx of qualified workers. The construction industry will need to attract more than a half-million additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for labor, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade organisation.
General contractor Miguel Villamil employs four people in Indianapolis, and says he has struggled to find more workers. His lead time for projects has stretched up to seven months, and he has raised prices for his services considerably to stay staffed. He pays his workers a starting salary of $20 to $25 an hour, up from $12 to $15 in 2020.
He says he is frustrated with contractors who deliver rushed and shoddy work—hurting the industry’s reputation—and with homeowners who don’t always recognise the realities of the marketplace.
“It’s a big, big, big problem,” Mr. Villamil says. “People without experience starting their own businesses, but also big companies who end up hiring subcontractors who have no experience because they have no choice.”
Facing long waits and high prices, some impatient homeowners are taking matters into their own hands—with varying results.
Total homeowner spending on do-it-yourself improvement projects grew 44% between 2019 and 2021, to a record of $66 billion, according to the Harvard report.
Mr. Villamil has picked up jobs from homeowners who tried, and failed, to do it themselves.
“Some of them do a halfway-decent job,” he says. “Some of them don’t.” He adds that one client inadvertently wired the TV to click on every time he flipped the light switch. “They try their best,” he said.
DIY by necessity
Laura Hrusovsky wasn’t trying to save time or money when she became the general contractor on a massive home-repair project. She just didn’t feel like she had a choice.
About a year ago, Ms. Hrusovsky came home from a day out with friends to a sopping entryway carpet and water cascading out of the light fixtures. An upstairs toilet had sprung a leak from the water line, spewing hundreds of gallons of water through her 3,800-square-foot home in Valparaiso, Ind.
When their preferred general contractor said he couldn’t start for another six months, her husband, Jim Hrusovsky, had an idea. “I said to Laura, who is very well organised: ‘Are you willing to try it?’ ”
She took on the 40-hour-a-week project, but isn’t happy she had to. “I just lost a year of my life,” she says. She says she has a newfound appreciation for construction work.
Evan Moody and Autumn Furr bought a second home in New York’s Catskill Mountains in summer 2021. The couple expected the few cosmetic upgrades and repairs on their list would take a couple of months. Almost two years later, the house still isn’t finished.
After getting turned down by every electrician in the area, Mr. Moody ended up pleading with one who was two counties over. On top of a $100 surcharge for travel, he said he could only come on a rainy day when he couldn’t do the outdoor work that made up most of his income. A storm didn’t occur for weeks.
Tired of waiting, Mr. Moody recently took a week-and-a-half away from his job in advertising to build a back deck himself. He knew he was in trouble and needed a professional to finish the job when he had barely gotten the holes for the posts dug by the end of day two.
“I think that going into this, we had the perception that we were very good DIYers,” Mr. Moody says. “I learned that, in fact, I wasn’t.”
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This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
The enduring appeal of marble has gone into overdrive as designers explore the beauty of coloured stone to create truly inviting and indulgent interiors.
4 min
Like all design movements, the return of marble to interiors started quietly enough with the rise of ‘greige’ as the dominant colour palette. A warm version of grey, for a while there, you could barely step into a well-considered residential space without being confronted with the ubiquitous neutral tone.
However, to be successful, this look depended on texture, layering and patterning to provide truly heartfelt spaces with genuine depth. And so Calacatta and Carrara marble entered the room, literally making itself at home in kitchens, bathrooms, and living room hearths, as well as in a myriad of accessories and furniture from small bowls and coasters to coffee and dining tables.
As greige made way for a return to colour in interiors, in recent years designers have turned their attention to bolder choices, moving on from the classic tones of Calacatta, Carrara, and Pietra marbles to Verde Indio, Spanish Gold, and Calacatta Viola.
Not that there is anything new about marble. First documented for use in construction in 3rd century Greece BCE, with evidence it was also used in ancient Turkey and Rome, it was originally chosen for its strength and beauty, as well as its accessibility, extracted from quarries using hammers and wedges and removed using pulleys, levers, and winches rather than the more difficult process of mining. While extraction methods have improved, especially in recent years, the nature of this popular stone is unchanged.
A metamorphic rock composed mostly of calcite, it is formed when limestone is subjected to heat and pressure. When the calcite in the limestone recrystallises, it forms a rock that is a mass of interlocking crystals, creating what we know as marble.
While many countries, including Australia, have marble deposits, about half the world’s supply is sourced from just four countries—Spain, Italy, India, and China. Strong enough to endure extended use, it is also soft enough to be relatively easy to carve while its natural beauty allows it to be polished and honed, giving it a glow that adds depth—and a sense of luxury—to any space it inhabits.
Australian designers have been quick to embrace the use of marble, offering, as it does, the opportunity to create truly unique interiors. Creative director of Mim Design, Emma Mahlook, says while budget is always a consideration, a greater variety of marble has become easier to source in recent years.
“Coloured stones provide an opportunity to create distinctive and striking spaces,” she says. “As such, we are finding that there is a slight shift to bolder and braver choices of coloured stone than the traditional whites and greys.”
For homeowners interested in creating distinctive, outstanding spaces, it is hard to beat, with each piece different from the other.
“No batch of stone is ever the same, which makes it so unique and such an interesting and visually appealing product with colours, textures, and patterns that are sometimes as complex as intricate works of art,” says Mahlook.
She cites a recent commercial project her studio realised for Enoteca Boccaccio, an exclusive Italian restaurant in the heart of the Melbourne suburb of Balwyn, where she specified a selection of coloured marbles to create an intimate and luxurious dining experience that looks to the past, as well as the future.
“The choices of natural stone in Enoteca Boccaccio, which featured marbles Rosso Levanto and Carrara as well as a granite called Domino, were selected to reflect Italy’s streets and embody genuine durability and commitment to the art of preservation,” says Mahlook. “Rosso Levanto and Carrara are archaic marbles with such strong significance connecting to Italy’s rich heritage.”
Colour and Communications Manager at Dulux, Andrea Lucena-Orr, says the interest in coloured marble in Australian design has its origins in more transient hospitality spaces like bars and restaurants, where design is traditionally riskier.
“Typically, it starts in hospitality and commercial environments,” she says. “You tend to get it in high-end homes because it is expensive, but it’s beautiful.”
“That whole natural palette is a huge phenomenon—people are celebrating those imperfections in patterns and shapes now.”
Because no two slabs are the same, Mahlook says there’s the ability to create truly distinctive, personal spaces for clients seeking genuinely idiosyncratic interiors.
“The movement towards coloured natural stones reflects a broader cultural shift towards individuality, sustainability, and innovation in design and architecture,” she says.
For those falling under its spell, Director of Studio Tate, Alex Hopkins, says marble pairs well with other materials such as timber and looks beautiful indoors, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. However, she cautions there are some things to consider before specifying it at home.
“To ensure marble remains a timeless choice rather than a fleeting trend, we recommend using it selectively and pairing it with contrasting materials,” she says. “It’s crucial to understand its maintenance demands and consider the overall budget, including installation and upkeep costs.”
While it is susceptible to staining because of its porosity, Hopkins says using marble sparingly, for example, in a powder room vanity, can minimise maintenance.
“Different finishes, like honed surfaces, can also help reduce the appearance of wear,” she says. “Working with experienced designers or specialists ensures the marble chosen fits both the aesthetic and functional needs of your space.”
Professionally applied sealants can also make staining less likely.
For those bold enough to take the plunge, Hopkins says the rewards are great.
“Its diverse colour palette and natural veining offer a unique aesthetic that other materials can’t match,” she says.
This stylish family home combines a classic palette and finishes with a flexible floorplan
Just 55 minutes from Sydney, make this your creative getaway located in the majestic Hawkesbury region.
