Homeowners Invest in Outdoor Living Spaces, Houzz Finds

Palo Alto, Calif. – Houzz has released its 2026 U.S. Houzz Outdoor Trends Study, showing that homeowners are focusing their outdoor renovations on lifestyle and comfort over resale value. The study, based on a survey of more than 1,100 U.S. homeowners, tracked a shift toward creating outdoor living spaces with lounge areas, dining zones, quiet retreats, gardening, and cooking areas.

Separate living zones popular: The research found that 83% of outdoor projects included lounge or seating areas, followed by dining spaces (55%), quiet retreats (53%), gardening spots (49%), and outdoor kitchens or cooking areas (48%). Homeowners are routinely using sofas, lounge chairs, lighting, coffee tables, and fire features to make these outdoor areas feel more like interior living rooms.

Drop in resale-driven projects: The share of homeowners renovating outdoor spaces specifically for resale declined to 15% in 2026, down 3 percentage points from 2024. Instead, more homeowners cited improving comfort (25%) and repairing deteriorated features (41%) as the main motivations for upgrades.

Increase in professional involvement: In 2026, 71% of homeowners engaged a professional for their outdoor projects, a rise from 65% in 2024. The most common hires included landscape contractors (26%), stone, paver and concrete specialists (20%), general contractors (17%), and landscape architects or designers (15%). The demand for professional guidance correlated with homeowners taking on more complex projects, such as shade structures (up 15 percentage points to 35%) and decks (43%).

Outdoor kitchens becoming permanent: One in eight homeowners (12%) added or upgraded an outdoor kitchen, with 95% of these being new builds. Key upgrades included infrastructure improvements like plumbing, electrical, or heating (68%), appliances (61%), and increased storage (37%). Standard features in these kitchens included grills (85%), beverage refrigerators (62%), sinks (59%), and TVs (38%).

Low-maintenance and functional landscapes: Natural grass lawns continued to decline (63%, down 9 points), while synthetic lawns (19%), hardscaping (57%), and mulch (51%) all gained popularity. Plantings remained top upgrades, with an increase in low-maintenance (73%), native (55%), and drought-resistant plants (49%). Beds or borders were core to gardening zones (74%), and lighting (64%) improved their usability.

A\ Typical Studio – Photograph by Nick Neuberger

Systems and decorating trends: Upgrades to outdoor systems—such as lighting (77%) and irrigation (58%)—rose to 36% of projects, overtaking decorating-focused updates (34%).

The 2026 U.S. Houzz Outdoor Trends Study was fielded online to U.S. Houzz users between April 25 and May 6, 2026, and included responses from 1,191 homeowners. The full report is available at houzz.com/ideabooks/185306879.

About Houzz

Houzz, the leading AI-driven platform for construction and design, empowers industry professionals and homeowners with the tools they need to make every project a success. The company’s cloud-based project management and design software, Houzz Pro (pro.houzz.com), helps pros win projects, collaborate with clients and teams, and run their businesses efficiently and profitably. Houzz Pro also provides pros and their clients with 24/7 access to project information, 3D visualizations and financial tools. Using Houzz, people can find ideas and inspiration, hire professionals and buy products. The Houzz platform is used by more than 3 million construction and design industry professionals and over 70 million homeowners and home design enthusiasts around the world. Houzz and Houzz Pro are available on the web and as top-rated mobile apps. For more information, visit www.houzz.com.