Out of every $100 Americans spend on home improvement, how much goes to replacing what broke instead of upgrading anything?
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$49
Americans spent 49% of their 2023 home improvement budgets replacing roofs, windows, and HVAC systems, not on the kitchen and bath remodels they actually wanted. The median US home reached a record 44 years old that year; homes built before 1980 carry maintenance bills 76% higher than those built since 2010.
The median American home is 44 years old. 49% of improvement spending now replaces what failed, not upgrades.
Source: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies · checked Mar 2025