{"id":1634,"date":"2025-08-11T14:31:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T14:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1634"},"modified":"2025-08-11T22:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T22:14:13","slug":"contractors-weigh-in-on-business-conditions-in-q2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1634","title":{"rendered":"What Your Contractor Customers Want You to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to survey results from the Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker<\/em> for Q2 2025, the project pipeline has remained relatively steady \u2014 although the scope of the work being done has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released by The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI<\/a>) Institute in partnership with The Farnsworth Group, the Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker<\/em><\/a> found that \u201cenhancement\u201d projects and remodels have gained some ground. The report noted, \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a slight increase in terms of the average number of projects bid on and awarded, with both numbers up from the same quarter in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noticeable shifts have occurred when it comes to budget. Contrary to several design industry reports on the luxury market, the Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker<\/em> revealed that projects valued at $100K or more actually fell to a five-quarter low. HIRI experts speculate that consumer confidence has caused homeowners to hit pause when it comes to planning major renovations or upgrades in this monetary bracket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, projects in the $1K to $5K range increased during the second quarter, while projects valued at under $1K held steady. According to HIRI, \u201cBe prepared to market product categories that are most relevant to these project sizes, while products and materials used for larger, upscale projects may drop as these types of home improvement activities slow when looking at the market broadly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of these findings, HIRI reported contractor optimism dipped again during the Q2, although it described the sector as \u201ccautiously optimistic.\u201d Roughly 50% of contractors surveyed anticipate market growth in the next 12 months, a percentage that is less than both Q1 and 2024 levels. Inflation, tariff pressures, rising materials costs and other economic concerns are adding to the mood of uncertainty among consumers and trade professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to pinpointing specific areas of growth, contractors surveyed indicate energy efficiency and tech integration as trending opportunities in the home improvement sector. Roughly 44% of the contractors surveyed named these two areas as an important focus.  While materials costs have been slowly rising, consumers are still interested in ecofriendly materials and sustainable and green renovations, as those numbers increased slightly in Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many upgrades to outdoor living areas occurred during the pandemic, when consumers were forced to stay at home, spending on the category has not abated. Among the outdoor products that HIRI saw as gaining popularity in Q2 are landscaping supplies, stand\u00adalone grills and\/\u200bor firepits, and exterior paint. \u201cWhile such seasonal demand can be expected, we\u2019re also seeing a modest shift toward exterior project investments in general,\u201d the\u00a0Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker<\/em> stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, one of the biggest challenges contractors are facing this year \u2013 as the Q2 numbers bear out \u2013 is the hesitancy among consumers to pull the trigger on starting a project. Cost constraints and timely payment also ranked high among contractors\u2019 concerns, according to HIRI.  On the product side, contractors report that product availability has improved, along with wait times for delivery; however, \u201cpoor product quality and lack of product support\u201d also increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To read the full Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker<\/em> for Q2 2025, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to survey results from the Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker for Q2 2025, the project pipeline has remained relatively steady \u2014 although the scope of the work being done has changed. Released by The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) Institute in partnership with The Farnsworth Group, the Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker found that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":70,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,391],"tags":[506,504,505,507],"class_list":["post-1634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-featured","tag-contractor-business-sentiment-tracker","tag-contractors","tag-hiri","tag-home-improvement-research-institute"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Your Contractor Customers Want You to Know - Lighting News Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Quarterly Contractor Business Sentiment Tracker for Q2 indicate the project pipeline has remained steady, although the scope has changed\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lightingnewsnow.com\/?p=1634\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Your Contractor Customers Want You to Know - 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