That means that any plans you have to renovate, remodel, or repair your home are going to be a lot more expensive. How much more? Some experts suggest a blanket 25% increase in your budget, driven by an estimated increase in building materials costs of about $7,500 to $10,000 per house. That’s a lot of money no matter how big or modest your renovation plans are, and might make you think twice about your project. But there are strategies you can use to blunt the impact of those tariffs if you plan your home project carefully.
Pad the budget
The worst outcome of a renovation or remodeling project isn’t extra costs, necessarily—it’s not being able to finish the job because you run out of money and finding yourself doomed to live in a half-finished house. To avoid that fate, review your renovation budget—which should already include some padding against unexpected costs—and add an additional “pad” to cover potential tariffs.
When, exactly, prices will start jumping due to tariffs is difficult to quantify; it depends on how large a supply remains, the specific country a material is sourced from, and when the last non-tariffed shipments arrived. But if you have plans for a renovation in the near future, it might be smart to buy your materials now, even if you’re not ready to engage contractors for a while. If you know you want imported marble tile, for example, chances are they’re as cheap right now as they’re going to be for a very long time. And if your kitchen reno involves all-new appliances, you’ll almost certainly pay less today than you will in a few weeks or months.
Go domestic
Chasing Paper offers made-in-the-U.S. peel-and-stick tile and wallpaper.
Copeland Furniture manufactures collections that are mostly made in the U.S. (like most furniture makers, they import some machined parts, like nuts and bolts), so tariff impacts will be minimal.
A little research and consultation with your contractors can identify many domestic alternatives for materials that can help offset or eliminate tariff costs.
Price locks. If you’re relying on your contractor to supply the necessary materials for your project, ask to insert price locks in the contract. This is language that freezes the cost of those materials for a period of time (typically a few months). This at least insulates you from a sharp uptick in costs due to sudden shifts in trade negotiations and tariff rates.
Shared savings clauses. You can also suggest that you and the contractor “share savings,” which means that if they identify lower-cost options for materials, labor, or any other aspect of the job, you agree to pay them a percentage of the savings total. This incentivizes the contractor to evade tariffs, seek out domestically sourced alternatives, or find materials already sitting in a warehouse somewhere that don’t need to be imported new.
Wait for the off season
Most kitchen, bathroom, and landscaping projects are done in the spring, as are most roofing and HVAC projects. These contractors may be more amenable to discounts in the fall or winter.
Exterior paint is typically done in the fall, when temperatures are cooler and humidity is lower, but you can have your house painted as long as temperatures are above 35 degrees, so painting companies may be motivated to offer discounted work in different seasons.
If you buy your materials now to save some money and then start the project in the off-season, you can maximize your savings.
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