THE SECRET LIFE OF BUILDING CONTRACTORS

1
THE SECRET LIFE OF BUILDING CONTRACTORS

• A Psychographic Study

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Who Weighed In
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Male Factor

• No surprise both groups are predominantly male

But builders have more women in their ranks, at
13 vs. just 6 on the remodeling side
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Common Ground
5
Family Guys

• Married
• 83 of builders
• 82 of remodelers

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House Proud

• 94 of builders own their home
• 93 of remodelers own their home

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House Proud

• Of those that own a home
• 35 of the builders own 2 or more
• 26 of remodelers own 2 or more homes

8
Small Scale

• For the most part
• 36 of builders and 57 of remodelers have 1 3
  full-time staff

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Small Scale

• The exceptions
• 16 of builders work in firms of over 200
  compared to only 2 of remodelers

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Food and Flicks

• Dining OutRanked 1 among both groups as a
  favorite way to kick back and relax
• Going to the MoviesSecond favorite leisure
  activity

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Trade Junkies

• Trade Magazine or Local Paper
• Both builders and remodelers are three times more
  likely to pick up a business / trade magazine
  than a newsweekly or sports magazine

Business Books Nonfiction wins out. Nearly 60
of book purchases by both groups are in the
business section
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Civic Minded
They vote
69 of remodelers
71 of builders
They volunteer with nonprofits
48 of remodelers
46 of builders
They give to charity
82 of remodelers
83 of builders
13
Health Conscious

• Of those that give to charity, both groups favor
  health-related causes

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Tuned In

• Musical tastes are...
• A little bit country 35 combined
• A little bit rock-n-roll 50 combined
• After that, tastes start to diverge
• Builders prefer Jazz / Soft Rock
• Remodelers prefer Blues / Alternative music

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Different Strokes
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Seasoned Players
19 of remodelers
16 of builders
are aged 45-59 years old
7 of remodelers
13 of builders
are aged 60-64 years old
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Class Act

• Bachelors degree or higher
• 63 of builders
• 41 of remodelers

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The Buck Stops... Here
Gross Family Income 100,000 to 299,999
46 of remodelers
50 of builders
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The Buck Stops... Here
But 17 of builders have household income of
300,000 or more, while only 4 of remodelers
do 39 of remodelers make less than 99,000
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The Buck Stops... Here
Household Net Worth Under 750,000
47 of remodelers
32 of builders
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The Buck Stops... Here
But 40 of builders reported net worth above 1
million compared to 25 of remodelers
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Fit and Trim

• They like the same outdoor activities
• Bicycling
• Boating / Sailing
• Fishing
• Golf
• Swimming

But builders liked golf best
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Hands On

• Remodelers like to work with their hands
• 51 woodworking
• 46 gardening
• 35 fishing
• 31 photography

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Pocketbook Voters

• Political Contributions in Past Year
• 31 of all builders 21 of all remodelers

Of those that gave 57 of remodelers gave less
than 500 65 of builders contributed 500 or
more
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Square Footage

• Builders buy more dress shoes, loafers, sandals
  and running shoes

Remodelers are more likely to spring for work
boots and sneakers
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Wanderlust

• More builders
• Travel outside the U.S. in last three years for
  leisure 55
• Traveled for business in the last three months
  47

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Wheels

• On the road of life
• Both drive more cars than SUVs and more SUVs
  than trucks
• Builders drive more SUVs than remodelers
• Very few lease vehicles. Most buy

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Busting Stereotypes
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Technophobia

• They are Luddites

Builders and remodelers buy a ton of stuff via
the Internet, especially airline tickets,
software, books, CDs, and conference
registrations. More than 95 of builders and
remodelers own one or more personal household
computers in addition to their business machines
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Risky Business

• They are mavericks

Neither group is keen on motorcycles fewer
than 15 Family is important 85 strongly
agree Both camps are frugal with money and big
on saving
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Right Wing

• They are arch-conservatives

Most builders favor smart growth policy (72),
favor green building products (59), and favor a
national healthcare system (51)
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Live to Work?

• They are workaholics

Roughly half of respondents have taken a
vacation in the past 3 months Fewer than 7 said
they hadnt vacationed in more than 3 years
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Chug Choices

• They are hard drinkers

Bottled water is the preferred beverage among
builders and remodelers Both groups drink more
coffee and soda than alcohol
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THE SECRET LIFE OF BUILDING CONTRACTORS

• A Psychographic Study