The percentage of homeowners who performed a home improvement project during the past year has increased 18 percent since 2001, with 65 percent of America's homeowners investing in a home improvement project during that time, according to an analysis by Scarbrough Research.

Homeowners are focusing more inside the home, the company also reported, and interior paint/wallpaper is the leading home improvement project. Thirty-five percent of homeowners currently cite this as an enhancement they have made during the past year. This category is up 30 percent since the 2001 Scarborough study.

Other interior projects that have increased since 2001 are carpeting/floor covering (13 percent increase), bathroom remodeling (27 percent increase), and kitchen remodeling (25 percent increase). Landscaping, the top home improvement category in the 2001 report, has dropped to number two in 2004.

"The overall increase in projects is due to the fact that today's homeowners have an investment mentality – the thinking is that if one invests in a project today, it will pay off with the eventual sale of the home," said Bob Cohen, president and CEO for Scarborough Research. "This mentality manifests itself in the Scarborough study, as we see more homeowners taking on involved and expensive projects, such as remodeling."

He added, "The focus on interiors can be in part attributed to the insecurity of today's world. People are taking refuge in their homes more than ever, and keeping one's sanctuary fresh and new – even by taking on simple, inexpensive projects – adds to the feelings of peace and warmth people get from their home."

The Scarborough analysis also found that Minneapolis is the top U.S. local market for home improvements, among the 75 markets measured. Almost three-quarters (74 percent) of Minneapolis homeowners conducted home improvement projects during the past year, and they are 13 percent more likely than all homeowners nationally to have done so. Rochester, N.Y., Salt Lake City, Providence, R.I., Buffalo, N.Y., Philadelphia, and Hartford, Conn., trail closely as 73 percent of home owners in these local markets performed enhancements during the past 12 months.

"Undoubtedly, home improvement has a new role in popular culture," said Alisa Joseph, vice president of advertiser marketing services at Scarborough. "There are countless television programs and seminars on the topic – and the hosts are young and hip artists and contractors who make even the most complex of projects feel attainable to the average American. This has given a rise to a new generation of do-it-yourself home owners who eagerly roll up their sleeves and grab a paintbrush or hammer and get to work on the home."

Homeowners in Honolulu were least likely to have performed home improvements among those survey cities, with only 50 percent reporting improvement projects within the past year. Birmingham, Ala., Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Tulsa, Okla., Charlotte, N.C., and Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, S.C., are also among those cities in which homeowners were least likely to have performed home improvement projects in the past year.

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