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The Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2026 Summit in Minneapolis focused on economic conditions, customer behavior, research, project spending and sales channels. Presenters cited a 2.5% forecast for home improvement products market growth in current dollars in 2026, alongside a 1.5% decline after inflation, and shared findings on contractor confidence and homeowners’ use of AI.
The Home Improvement Research Institute’s 2026 Home Improvement Insights Summit brought home improvement professionals to Minneapolis on Sept. 29-30 to discuss economic conditions, customer behavior and technology’s influence on renovation decisions. Presenters shared a forecast of 2.5% market growth in current dollars in 2026, but a 1.5% contraction after inflation, underscoring the difference between nominal sales growth and real market activity.
The summit organized its sessions around five subjects: macroeconomics, the customer journey, data and market research, project spending and sales channels. In the opening session, Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis at the National Association of Home Builders, discussed how inflation and other economic factors affect homebuilding and homebuying.
Nanayakkara-Skillington said the median age of a first-time homebuyer is now 40, compared with 29 in 1981. HIRI’s Dave King also discussed affordability, mortgage rates and income with Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at OpenBrand, and Michael Zdinak, director at S&P Global. The source report does not provide detailed figures from that discussion beyond the age comparison.
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 getting business over the next six months was 8.2 out of 10. Liza Hausman, senior vice president of marketing at Houzz, presented the company’s 2026 research: 22% of homeowners use AI for renovation, and 25% of renovation dollars are associated with households that use AI to help.
Inflation Changes the Growth Picture
The forecast makes clear why industry sales figures need to be read alongside inflation. HIRI’s Q3 2026 Size of the Home Improvement Products Market Report and Forecast projects 2.5% growth in current dollars in 2026, but a 1.5% decline after inflation. The two measures describe different conditions: nominal market value is forecast to rise, while the inflation-adjusted measure is forecast to fall.
For manufacturers and retailers, the presentations also point to decisions shaped by affordability, contractor expectations and changing customer research habits. The figures on AI use suggest that some renovation households are bringing AI into their process, but they do not establish that AI caused spending or changed purchase outcomes. King’s message to manufacturers was to reduce uncertainty for customers in the coming quarter.
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Five Themes Framed the Summit
The two-day event drew home improvement leaders and professionals to Minneapolis for presentations built around market data and industry decision-making. Rather than focusing on one product category, the program covered forces affecting the market from household economics to the customer’s path to purchase and the channels through which projects are planned and supplied.
Several sessions examined how professionals and technology affect customer recommendations and preferences. Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House, spoke about how the brand remains relevant by educating customers first, earning trust and avoiding a transactional approach. The source report describes these themes but does not provide a transcript or further detail on his remarks.
“Take uncertainty out of the customer’s decision in the coming quarter.”
— Dave King, HIRI
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Survey Scope and Forecast Detail
The source report does not describe the sample sizes, methodology or field dates for the Houzz AI research or contractor sentiment measures. It also does not specify the market forecast’s full assumptions or break out results by product category. The figures should be read as reported findings and forecasts, not as a complete account of household or industry activity.
The reported 22% AI-use figure concerns homeowners using AI for renovation, while the 25% figure refers to renovation dollars in households that use AI to help. The report does not define the AI tasks involved or show whether those households spent more because of AI. It also provides no further breakdown of the first-time homebuyer age statistic or the summit’s affordability discussion.
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Industry Outlook Into 2027
The summit’s next reference point is the coming quarter, when King urged manufacturers to make customer decisions less uncertain. HIRI’s forecast and the findings presented at the event offer a basis for tracking market conditions, but the report does not announce a new policy, product initiative or follow-up release date.
As the industry moves toward 2027, future data will show whether the projected inflation-adjusted decline and contractor confidence measure hold up. The source report does not identify a specific next summit or say when updated versions of the research will be published.
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Key Questions
When and where was HIRI’s 2026 Summit held?
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’s Q3 2026 report forecast 2.5% growth in current dollars for 2026 and a 1.5% decline after inflation.
What did the summit report about AI and renovation?
Houzz’s 2026 research, as presented by Liza Hausman, found that 22% of homeowners use AI for renovation. The report also said 25% of renovation dollars are in households that use AI to help; it did not establish that AI caused higher spending.
How confident were contractors about future business?
The Farnsworth Contractor Index for Q3 2026 put contractors’ confidence in getting business over the next six months at 8.2 out of 10, according to the summit recap.
What remains unknown about the summit’s findings?
The source report does not provide detailed survey methods, sample sizes or forecast assumptions. It also does not show how AI use affected renovation choices or spending, or provide a detailed breakdown of affordability data.
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