Home Improvement Industry – What comes to your mind?

When you talk about home improvement, the first images that come to mind are usually

(a) male weekend warriors doing an assortment of DIY projects at home or

(b) male contractors doing those same jobs or consulting homeowners over a set of blueprints.

Even typing “home improvement contractor” into Google Images turns up the expected stock photos: hard-hat wearing, tool-belt sporting males busying themselves around a property and generally looking competent.

See the common denominator here? You guessed it: males. It’s traditional for men to be handy around the house, but as it turns out, women are actually much more active in the home improvement arena.

Women and Home Improvement

Research shows that women initiate 80% of all decisions on the home improvement front, ranging from simple decisions like what color to use on the walls to more complex changes like the addition of a sunroom.

Ace Hardware adds that women spend on average 50% more than men on hardware store purchases, prompting home improvement stores to pay attention when a female shopper walks through their doors. Big companies like Home Depot and Lowe’s have changed the way they do marketing to take advantage of female involvement, creating programs specifically aimed at women and designed to give the ladies what they want.

But you know what real involvement in home improvement looks like? Being an integral part of the industry.

Women in the Industry

As customers and contractors, men dominate the world of home improvement. But just like any male-dominated industry, it is starting to see an influx of female involvement. This time around, female contractors and female-led home improvement companies are taking up shop and challenging the big boys in a field that used to be exclusively male. And as it turns out, they’re giving male contractors quite a run for their money.

What are women doing differently?

It seems as if female home improvement professionals are gaining a competitive edge because of two main reasons: communication and attention to detail, both of which help them provide the best kind of customer service possible.

Some homeowners find it easier to talk their ideas over with female contractors, as they tend to get a clearer picture of how a home fits into a client’s future plans than their male counterparts. They also tend to be more intuitive about needs the client may not have been able to communicate clearly.

And while there are always obvious exceptions to the rule, women do tend to be more meticulous and pay more attention to detail—attitudes that prove particularly useful in the home improvement context.

Women on Top

When women enter male-dominated industries, the challenge is always to show that they can do whatever mencan with equal, if not greater, aptitude. Regardless of gender, there will always be some satisfaction in leading the pack, but women in the industry tend to be more intentional about using their sex’s particular strengths to come out on top.

And we’re not just talking nebulous probabilities. In Portland, one of the fastest-growing home improvement companies is owned by a woman. That’s Nissa McMillan of DaBella Exteriors. Several other women hold positions of leadership in their respective home improvement companies—like Alexandra Whiteside of Chelsea Custom Contracting in Virginia, LakshimiJackman of Transformations Building and Remodeling in Texas, and Dawn Steimer Robison of Master Custom Home Remodeling and Master Home Medic in Tennessee.

To these women and their like, we say: more power! This is one trend we hope will stay around for good.

Author Bio:

Nissa Mcmillan is a professional contractor based in Oregon and the owner of DaBella Exteriors LLC. She is passionate about writing and doing DIY Home Improvement. During her free time, she loves to share tips and her experiences to people.