Home theaters can enhance family togetherness.
The weather has turned cold in many regions of the country and homeowners are looking at projects to improve their indoor spaces this season. The online home improvement platform Thumbtack, which refers consumers to pros for home maintenance, repairs and upgrades, compiled a list of top 10 indoor trending projects leading into winter. Six of them have the potential to improve the health and safety potential of your living space.
1. Railing Installation or Remodel
This trend is up 60% year over year, the report shows. While it can indicate merely a desire for updated style, new railings can add safety to your space. APA Medical Equipment in Minneapolis noted on its blog that roughly two thirds of all accidents related to mobility involve falls, the fifth leading cause of death for those with mobility challenges. “Those numbers are pretty eyebrow-raising, so it makes all the sense in the world that we should make it hard to traverse areas easier for those with mobility issues. One of the simplest ways to do that is with a house handrail.”
Those can go in spots where older users and those with mobility or balance issues may need help getting up, like near beds, and in tub and shower areas, along hallways and up staircases. (While this report covers indoor projects, rail installation and remodels can be extremely helpful outdoors too, particularly on outside stairs that can get slippery or icy.)
2. Carpet Repair or Replacement
This trend is up 57% year over year, according to the company. As with railings, new carpet can be just for show, but it can also enhance wellness potential depending on what the homeowner chooses. For example, wool carpeting offers some health and safety benefits to users. As Portland, Oregon-based Floor Factors shared on its blog in a May 2024 post, “Wool carpet is fire retardant, resistant to dust mites and allergens, naturally regulates humidity, dirt repellant and made without using chemicals,” (to which some users might have sensitivities).
3. Floor Repair
This trend is up 44% year over year, according to Thumbtack, and can definitely enhance safety at home. “Falls on floors occur in various ways and from various causes,” reports the National Safety Council on its website. While the national nonprofit organization was referring to commercial spaces, the same issues can motivate homeowners too, particularly if there’s a family member who would be exceptionally impacted by a fall.
Among the primary causes of tripping hazards, NSC reports, are differences in elevation, improper maintenance, holes or unevenness in the floor, torn, curled or loose mats or carpeting, and unsuitable floor surfaces or treatments that create decreased slip resistance. The latter can be addressed in some cases – e.g., stone floors – with after-market slip resistance coatings.
4. Home Modification for Accessibility
This trend is up 42% year over year, reports Thumbtack, in a very non-surprising finding. Home improvements to make homes more accessible have been increasing in almost every recent survey, including the latest AIA study shared here last month, and will continue to grow as more than 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day.
5. Tile and Grout Cleaning
This trend is up 39% year over year and may owe its growth to increased awareness of health issues related to mold and mildew. Grout, which is porous, can be a breeding ground for these unsightly and potentially hazardous issues. “In some cases, mold in your home can make you sick, especially if you have allergies or asthma,” noted WebMD in an October 2024 post. “Whether or not you’re allergic to mold, it can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs,” the writers added. (A related trend in the list was upholstery and furniture cleaning, which can address dust mites and other allergens that hide in fabrics and cause issues for some with respiratory challenges.)
6. Home Theater Repair
This trend is up 43% year over year and may not strike readers as wellness-enhancing. It can be though. Home theater experiences can bring families together in a positive way, sharing a comedy, adventure or drama, which can enhance their time together, cohesion and well-being.
Purdue University wrote in a December 21 article titled “A new year’s Resolution to Spend More Time with Loved Ones Can Boost Health” that fulfilling this goal can offer a variety of physical and mental health benefits. One of the writer’s tips was “Having fun together doing enjoyable activities.” Winter weather can limit those you’d normally enjoy outside. A fun movie at home can be just the ticket to family fun on those nights and weekends.
Home theaters can also create social opportunities for individuals living alone or empty nesters with friends and neighbors during the long, cold months. Social isolation can increase depression, illness and even fatalities, according to the CDC. In a March 2024 post, the agency reported, “Social isolation and loneliness can increase a person’s risk for heart disease and stroke; type 2 diabetes; depression and anxiety, dementia, suicidality and self-harm and earlier death.”
Last Words
To arrive at its report findings, Thumbtack looked at its database from September 2023 to September 2024 to spot projects with the greatest increase year over year by both trend and volume.
The indoor section of the report concludes this way: “We’re also seeing a rise in projects that allow people to stay in their homes long-term, with railing installations and home modifications for accessibility up year-over-year. All these improvements, whether for function or style, can help homeowners feel cozy and safe this winter.”
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