Home improvement is expensive in Hawaii: Here’s why

HONOLULU (KHON2) — During the summer months people tend to work on their houses doing various home improvement projects.

Because Hawaii is close to the equator there are endless days of sunshine, warm weather and dry conditions. That can come in handy when doing outside projects or major renovations.

A new study ranked the most and least expensive states to complete home improvement projects, and Hawaii was among the states at the top.

Lawnlovea lawncare company, ranked 200 of the biggest US cities from most to least affordable for home improvement projects.

Rising inflation and high cost of living can contribute to the high-cost home improvement projects.

The top 10 most expensive cities:

• Sunnyvale – California
• San Jose – California
• San Francisco – California
• Fremont – California
• Pasadena – California
• Glendale – California
• Oakland – California
• New York – New York
• Torrance – California
• Honolulu – Hawaii

According to their study, Honolulu had a high contractor rate and a high mortgage rate.

Dr. Stephen Brincks is an assistant professor at San Diego State University and said although it’s expensive to do home improvement projects, the money and time can pay in the long run.

“If budgeted properly, you can add value to your home,” said Brincks. “Professionals have to pay for the cost of raw materials and the cost of labor. Labor is a significant proportion of most project costs.”

He said by doing a project yourself, you save the labor cost and can make home remodeling yield a financial benefit for you.

“Remodeling is exciting and something to brag about. You designed a project, completed it yourself, and can take greater pride in your house,” said Brincks.

To see the full rankings of best and worst cities for home improvement projects, head to Lawnlove’s website.