By Qwikkit
The work is still out there. The money behind it is getting tighter.
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies expects growth in home renovation spending to slow from 2.9 percent early in 2026 to 1.6 percent by year-end. The 2026 Houzz and Home Study tells the same story from the client side. Homeowners who plan to renovate this year expect to spend a median of $15,000. Last year it was $20,000.
But here is the number that matters for your pipeline. Nine in ten homeowners who renovated hired at least one pro last year, and half of all homeowners plan a project in 2026. Demand is holding. Budgets are not.
That squeeze hits kitchens first. A full kitchen remodel is one of the priciest jobs in the house, so it is the first place cautious clients cut. The remodelers who hold revenue this year will be the ones who win the smaller job rather than lose the big one.
Four ways to do that:
Offer a refacing tier. When cabinet boxes are sound, refacing delivers a fresh kitchen at roughly one-third the cost of a full replacement. A client who walks away from a $60,000 bid may say yes to half that with refaced cabinets, new counters, and new appliances.
Lock in product costs early. Houzz found 37 percent of projects ran over budget last year. Higher-than-expected product and service costs drove more than half of those overruns. Fixed-price materials, like complete refacing kits with doors, hinges, and hardware in one box, take the guesswork out of your quote.
Sell speed. A refacing job wraps in days, not weeks. Shorter jobs mean fewer change orders, faster final payments, and more projects per crew each year.
Know when to say no. Refacing fails when boxes are damaged, the layout is changing, or the cabinets are metal. Telling a client why saves you a callback and usually earns the bigger job anyway.
A slower market does not have to mean a slower year. It means meeting clients at the budget they actually have and building your process around materials that protect your margin.
Want to see the refacing math on a real project? Run your numbers through Qwikkit's free ROI calculator.
Sources:
Harvard JCHS: Remodeling Growth Set to Downshift in Late 2026 (LIRA, Jan 2026)
Houzz: 8 Home Remodeling Trends to Watch in 2026 (2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study)
Qwikkit manufactures made-to-order cabinet refacing kits at its Houston, Texas, plant and ships them in 5 to 8 business days. Each kit includes doors, drawer fronts, hinges, pulls, paint, and video instructions. Qwikkit has supplied kits for more than 150,000 kitchen renovations since 2017. Learn more at qwikkit.com.
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