Here’s How Your Generation Is Handling the Rising Cost of Home Renovations in 2025
Written by
Cynthia Measom
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Renovating a home has never been cheap, but it’s getting harder to keep costs reined in due to factors like labor costs and rising material prices. Even so, Americans are still putting time and money into renovation projects.
Here’s how different generations are handling home renovations today — from cost to stress.
Baby Boomers
Older homeowners are the most active when it comes to renovations right now. Many have paid off their mortgages, which allows them the financial breathing room to reinvest in their homes. According to Block’s 2025 “How America Renovates” report, boomers took on 36% of all renovation projects in the past year.
When it comes to money, however, boomers are likely to spend less than millennials or Gen X, when it comes to amounts above $2,000, according to Home Improvement Research Institute’s Generational Differences in Home Improvement Activity Report.
They also report lower stress levels, with 18% saying they weren’t stressed at all during the renovation process, which is also a big contrast to younger generations. This could be due to focusing on less expensive and complex projects.
Millennials
Millennials are more willing to purchase a fixer-upper to make homeownership affordable and the neighborhood they want to live in within reach, which means renovations are a must.
According to the Block report, millennials make up 29% of renovators. When it comes to budget, however, this group is willing to spend more money than both boomers and Gen X when renovations exceed $10,000, according to the HIRI report.
Bigger projects may mean bigger headaches, however. The Block report stated that almost 40% of millennials said renovations strained their relationships, which is significantly more than boomers or Gen X reported.
Gen X
Gen X makes up 33% of renovators, reported Block. However, due to their age, this generation has a common focus when renovating due to raising families or managing multigenerational households. According to NAR’s 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, about 21% of Gen Xers are buying multigenerational homes.
And when it comes to spending, the HIRI report found that this generation is only slightly less willing than millennials to outlay the funds for projects $10,000 and up.
Overall, Gen X’s projects must not be as stressful as millennials’ projects are. A little less than a quarter of this group — 22% — reported experiencing strain due to renovation projects — slightly more than boomers (18%) but significantly less than millennials (39%).
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