This Room Might Be the Next One You Remodel — and It’s Not the Kitchen, According to a Survey

For some time, kitchen renovations have been the most popular home project — even if it’s the most stressful room to update. It’s no surprise that these spaces need regular makeovers — people often spend a lot of time in the room, and appliances are seemingly becoming more clever every day. However, there’s one room that we spend a lot of time in that’s often overlooked for makeovers — well, not anymore. 

According to this year’s juicy U.S. Houzz and Home Study, which was released today, more people paid attention to their bathrooms in 2024. For context, Houzz, the platform for home building, remodeling, and design, creates a report that tracks trends in home projects throughout the year.

Twenty-four percent of homeowners who participated said they reimagined their bathroom last year — that’s the same percentage as those who upgraded their kitchens.

The uptick in bathroom projects marks a change in what people are investing their time and effort in. Kitchen upgrades still have center stage, but homeowners are starting to put more love into their bathrooms. On average, 24% of people in the survey spent around $6,000 on updating their guest bathrooms. Alternatively, 22% of homeowners who remodeled their primary bathrooms spent $13,000. 

Surprisingly, seniors led the bathroom renovation charge last year. Houzz found that the average senior spend nearly doubled, from $8,500 in 2023 to $15,300 in 2024. Meanwhile, millennials spent less on their bathroom projects and looked towards updating the kitchens. Gen X’ers and Boomers held their ground at $13,000 and $15,000, respectively, which carried over from 2023’s findings.

The study also included findings on what people are (or, rather, aren’t) purchasing for their bathrooms and kitchens. People were most likely to buy paint, with light fixtures coming in second place. Faucets and shower heads came in third, with building materials, flooring, hardware, and sinks falling further down the line. This change in buying habits could mean that people prefer room refreshes rather than full remodels. 

Unsurprisingly, plumbing was the most popular core system homeowners upgraded in 2024. Twenty-four percent of homeowners updated their plumbing in some capacity, and they spent an average of $1,500 doing so.

It will be interesting to see if bathroom redos continue to grow in popularity this year — will they finally take the lead over kitchens? Only time will tell!