Nearly Half of U.S. Homeowners Enlarge Showers in Bathroom Remodels

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Nearly Half of U.S. Homeowners Enlarge Showers in Bathroom Remodels

Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-10-14 Origin: Site

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Houzz, the leading AI-powered platform for home remodeling and design, released its 2026 U.S. Bathroom Trends Study in early October. Based on an online survey of 1,619 U.S. homeowners who are currently undergoing, planning, or have recently completed a bathroom renovation, the report reveals a clear consumer shift: bathrooms are evolving from functional washrooms into core "self-care" sanctuaries within the home. Enlarging shower dimensions and upgrading rainfall shower systems have become the fastest-growing structural upgrades of this renovation cycle.

Half of Homeowners Intentionally Spend More Time in the Bathroom Post-Reno

The survey found that 50% of respondents deliberately spend more time in the bathroom after completing a renovation. This extra time is primarily dedicated to beauty and pampering routines (28%) and rest and relaxation (23%). Smaller shares turn to steaming (4%), while emerging behaviors such as cold plunges, red light therapy, sauna sessions, and even recording beauty tutorials in the bathroom each account for roughly 1%.

Marine Sargsyan, Head of Economic Research at Houzz, noted: "Homeowners want their bathrooms to work harder for them, supporting both daily routines and self-care. That's showing up in the numbers—median spend has rebounded to $15,000, and nearly half of homeowners are making their showers bigger."

Spacious Showers Rank as the Top Relaxation Feature

When asked which feature of their renovated bathroom feels most relaxing, respondents ranked the shower space itself at the top:

76% chose cleanliness
71% chose a spacious shower, outranking every other feature
67% chose organized storage
40% and 39% respectively chose natural light and dimmable lighting
26% chose a comfortable bathtub
19% chose water features—including waterfall faucets and rainfall showerheads—a figure that rose 6 percentage points year over year
12% and 6% respectively chose greenery and background music

The year-over-year jump in water features indicates that the tactile experience of water is becoming a clear paid upgrade point, aligning perfectly with the showerhead category's broader shift from "water output tool" to "home hydrotherapy terminal."

Nearly Half of Homeowners Enlarge Their Showers; Tub Removal Becomes the Norm

The most telling data point in the report is the speed at which shower space is expanding:

49% of homeowners increased the size of their shower during renovation, a 10-percentage-point year-over-year jump—the fastest-growing major structural change this year.
Among the 26% who removed a bathtub, 79% used the reclaimed space to enlarge the shower, while another 24% relocated the shower entirely.
Eighty-two percent of bathroom renovations maintain the same overall footprint; among those who do expand, 32% do so through an addition, 27% reduce or eliminate a closet, and 22% absorb part of an adjacent bedroom.

These figures indicate that U.S. residential bathrooms are undergoing a structural shift toward "tub removal and oversized showers." For showerhead suppliers, this translates into rising demand for larger overhead rain panels, concealed in-wall systems, dual-shower combos (overhead + handheld), and linear drains.

Wet Room Penetration Climbs from 13% to 18% in Two Years

Another shower-relevant trend is the rapid adoption of curbless wet rooms:

Wet rooms now account for 18% of renovated bathrooms, up from 13% just two years ago.
Motivations are highly concentrated: 41% seek better space utilization, and 40% pursue accessibility and universal design (a 14-percentage-point year-over-year surge).

The wet room trend directly drives demand for wall-mounted concealed shower systems, ceiling-mounted overhead panels, and linear drainage, while pushing "invisible installation and oversized spray faces" toward becoming the default specification in U.S. mid-to-high-end renovation projects.

Renovation Spend Rebounds; Large Bathrooms Command Premium Budgets

Spending data further supports the mid-to-high-end upgrade of the showerhead category:

Median bathroom renovation spend rebounded from $13,000 in 2024 to $15,000 in 2025.
Major remodels (defined as at least a shower upgrade) carry a median spend of $25,000**, with the top 10% of projects reaching nearly **$70,000.
Bathrooms of 100+ square feet command a median spend of $30,000**, up 20% year over year, with the top 10% exceeding **$75,000.

Professional service penetration is also rising: 89% of homeowners hired at least one professional for their project (up 5 percentage points year over year), with general contractors at 52% and bathroom remodelers and cabinetmakers at 23% each. This means project procurement decisions are increasingly led by professional contractors, who favor certified, warranty-backed brands offering complete shower systems over retail white-label products.

Implications for Chinese Showerhead Exporters

The Houzz data delivers three structural tailwinds for the showerhead category in the U.S. market:

Oversized shower spaces → Rising demand for large rain panels, dual-function combos, and concealed in-wall systems.
Self-care hydrotherapy positioning → Rainfall spray, pressurization, multi-mode settings, and water-feature experiences become paid upgrade points.
Wet rooms and accessibility → Wall-mounted minimalist design, long-slide bars, and height-adjustable handhelds emerge as new selling points.

For Chinese showerhead exporters, this signals that product development should pivot toward complete "large rain panel + handheld combo + thermostatic valve + in-wall rough-in" systems, rather than standalone single-handheld units. At the same time, North American certifications such as WaterSense and cUPC will become hard gates for contractor product selection.