The median home improvement project cost $2,113 in 2025 dollars, compared with $1,200 in 2015, a 76% jump even after adjusting for inflation, in a LendingTree analysis of Census Bureau housing data and Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.

Few owners escape the bill for long. Nearly 6 in 10 owner-occupied homes, 51.6 million out of 86.9 million, had at least one project during the two-year window the analysis covered, and routine maintenance alone averaged about $1,433 a year.

The same data shows where the money goes, and several of the biggest swings are within a homeowner’s control.

1. Do the small jobs yourself

The gap between hiring out and doing it yourself is wide. Professionals handled about 64% of projects, at a median of $4,103. Do-it-yourself projects had a median cost of $845, roughly one-fifth as much.

Not every job belongs on the DIY list. Electrical work, gas lines, roofs and anything that requires a tall ladder are where savings can turn into an emergency room bill.

Caulking, replacing a toilet flapper, swapping a faucet cartridge and changing furnace filters are not, and those small fixes keep minor problems from becoming the kind that need a contractor.

2. Get ahead of the appliances

Adding or replacing a water heater, dishwasher or garbage disposal was the most common type of project, at 11.7% of the total and a median of $845.

Appliances tend to fail on their own schedule, and an emergency replacement leaves little time to compare prices. Knowing the age of the water heater, furnace and major kitchen appliances lets you shop before one quits.

Some upkeep can also stretch their lives, including a yearly water heater flush that clears out sediment.

For anyone who would rather not face a surprise breakdown alone, a home warranty from Choice Home Warranty can cover repair or replacement of many major systems and appliances for a monthly fee plus a set charge per claim.

3. Keep water away from the house

Gutters are a house’s first line of defense against water. When they clog, rain can spill over the edge and pool near the foundation, or back up under the roofline and soak the wood behind it.

Cleaning them after the leaves finish falling is the cheap option. Anyone who would rather stay off the ladder entirely can compare gutter guard options through HomeBuddy, which can cut down on how often the gutters need clearing.

4. Budget by the age of your home

Maintenance costs climb with a home’s age. Homes built before 1940 averaged $1,706 a year in routine maintenance, while homes built in 2022 and 2023 averaged just $173.

The overall average of $1,433 works out to about $120 a month. Setting that aside automatically, and more for a house that is several decades old, can turn a surprise repair into a planned withdrawal.

5. Pay in cash, not on a card

Cash covered 75.7% of projects in the analysis, while credit cards paid for 6.3%. Projects paid for with cash had a median cost of $1,902, while those financed with home equity loans ran far larger, at a median of $7,924.

A repair put on a card and paid off over months can cost far more than the contractor’s quote once interest is added. For anyone already juggling balances, it is worth checking whether debt payments are already too high before adding a new one.

6. Save receipts for improvements, not repairs

Some of what you spend on a home can lower your tax bill when you sell. The IRS lets owners add the cost of improvements, work that adds value, extends a home’s life or adapts it to new uses, to their basis.

A new roof, central air or a kitchen remodel qualifies. Routine repairs, such as painting or fixing a leak, generally do not, unless they are part of a larger remodeling project.

A higher basis means a smaller taxable gain. That matters for longtime owners whose profit may exceed the $250,000 exclusion for single filers or $500,000 for married couples filing jointly, a gap that can produce a five-figure tax bill on a house bought decades ago.

The cheapest fix is the one you schedule

LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst Matt Schulz told USA Today that home improvements “may be bigger and flashier, but ongoing maintenance and repairs are more common.” Those are also the costs a homeowner can see coming.

A list of each major system’s age, a monthly set-aside and a few hours of weekend work can do more for the next repair bill than any single contractor quote.