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The Drill Down
Home Improvement news, improved.
Welcome to The Drill Down, a fast, fun, monthly summary of home improvement news with our marketing POV. 
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FRESH READ

A robot wearing an orange safety vest and hard hat carries building materials on its shoulder at a construction site, assisting to build houses while another figure works in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

In this Drill Down: Our fearless Hot-Not Forecast for 2026

In a sea of change, information is your lifeboat. The Drill Down kicks off ‘26 by tracking what’s trending in the home & building world.

by The Drill Down Team on January 27, 2026

RECENT DRILL DOWNS

Santa Claus wearing a construction helmet and safety vest flies a sleigh filled with good tidings and construction tools, pulled by reindeer, soaring through a cloudy sky.

We bring good tidings and coal for all who have it coming

by The Drill Down Team

Like any industry, home improvement and construction has its share of sinners and saints. This month, we offer a shortlist of each.
A construction worker in a hard hat faces a house, surrounded by many red hard hats on the ground, symbolizing action and reaction at a busy work site filled with vehicles and equipment.

Sometimes an action can have an opposite and not-completely-equal reaction

by The Drill Down Team

Government actions, technological breakthroughs, market forces — and the human cost they each extract.
A person in overalls and a cap stands in tall grass, holding a red toolbox and a drill, looking toward factories emitting large plumes of smoke, with an American flag on their back—symbolizing lifestyle changes and people on the move.

There are some things only makers can do

by The Drill Down Team

When warfare, climate change and government policy create need, this industry fills the void.
A worker in a hard hat watches as a drone lifts a large stack of lumber labeled "OpenAI" at a moving wooden house construction site, with mountains and dramatic clouds setting the scene for this industry moment.

Everybody’s on the move but not in the way you think

by The Drill Down Team

If people aren’t moving to new homes, the home improvement and building industry can come to them.
Three homeowners in front of a house lift a section of grass like a carpet, revealing cash underneath. The warm, evening light enhances the suburban yet surreal atmosphere, challenging the idea of cookie-cutter neighborhoods.

Today’s homeowners are rejecting cookie-cutter. Brands should too.

by The Drill Down Team

As homeowners disrupt the norms of home improvement and decorating, it creates opportunities for savvy brands.
A funnel above a house collects various household objects, swirling in the market sky. The house, surrounded by trees and neighboring homes under a partly cloudy sky, creates a surreal, autumn setting.

If the market won’t move, let’s change the conversation

by The Drill Down Team

We consider a few tasty – and potentially profitable – alternatives to the sluggish conventional resell environment.

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The Drill Down is a fast, fun, monthly summary of home improvement news with our marketing POV.

HOW WE IMPROVE

We are committed to diversification. Jopwell is our guide. As a leader in diversity and inclusion in the workforce, Jopwell represents and advances careers for Black, Latinx, and Native American students and professionals.

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