Houzz just released the results of a survey of 1,100 homeowners that are involved in an outdoor upgrade, or had recently completed one. There is some great data in there for outdoor living and cooking, with some notable trends.

Homeowners are investing in outdoor renovations with long-term lifestyle goals in mind. We’re seeing a shift away from resale-driven upgrades toward spaces that support everyday routines and blur the lines between indoors and out, from outdoor dining and cooking to reading retreats and lounge areas. As these outdoor spaces become more personalized and multifunctional, homeowners are increasingly turning to professionals to help bring their vision to life.

Marine Sargsyan, head of economic research at Houzz

Overall, two responses show that demand for outdoor kitchens has remained constant from 2024 when they previously did the survey. That’s a bit surprising given the additional economic headwinds that have developed.

We’re missing a data point on the percentage of homeowners doing an outdoor kitchen project in the first place but, of the people doing projects, 12% are installing a built-in kitchen.

Similarly, the percentage of home respondents with the objective of creating an outdoor cooking space has remained constant at 11%.

Of the homeowners doing an outdoor kitchen project, almost all are adding adding one with a 7 percentage point increase from the previous survey. There’s also a notable shift from covered to partially covered outdoor kitchens.

People are also installing more complex outdoor kitchen. There’s a large increase in those that are installing plumbing, electrical, or heating, and installing appliances.

Not surprisingly, homeowners that build an outdoor kitchen want a grill, at 85% of respondents. Other outdoor cooking methods are also popular for outdoor kitchen builds.

For outdoor living spaces, 56% of them include a grill. The other 44% of people have hungry friends and family wishing for a different outdoor living space.

Economic Implications

We’ve heard from Lowe’s, amongst other companies, about the K-shaped economy. The events triggering an outdoor space renovation would provide additional support to that.

There was a small increase in homeowners saying they “finally have the means” as the trigger for the renovation. There was also a much larger decrease from 2024 in homeowners performing renovations to improve resale.

I’d interpret that as people are settling into the current housing market with limited supply and lots of equity. Homeowners are building spaces for themselves and they have the means to do it.

The full survey results can be found here.