Home Maintenance Cost Increases Driven by Bad Weather

New Thumbtack data shows a 5.04 percent increase in the last quarter with storms and harsh conditions as the biggest factor.

We’ve all read about how increasingly drastic weather conditions are becoming more common across the country and now there’s new data to suggest it’s impacting the cost of home maintenance, especially in roofing.

Thumbtack, the online service that connects homeowners with repair services, just released its data from the fourth quarter of 2024 showing that the average annual cost to maintain a single-family home increased 5.04 percent year-over-year to $10,593.

But that is down on a quarter-over-quarter basis with costs up only 1.15% from the third quarter. This is based on data from more than one million home projects completed on Thumbtack. For townhouses, costs increased 4.31 percent and for condos, 2.91 percent.

Thumbtack specifically blamed climate conditions for the increases. “Harsh weather conditions are likely contributing to a rise in home maintenance costs. This is particularly evident in areas that have experienced extreme weather events such as droughts, hurricanes and severe storms.” Roof repairs were the biggest gainers in costs, it said. “Roof repairs and maintenance costs have risen by 11.16 percent in part due to damage caused by strong winds, hail and heavy rainfall — 18 percent of requests were for repairing entire portions of the roof.”

It was not all bad news, however, the service said. “The U.S. has seen slower cost inflation for home upkeep, with 11 out of 30 major cities seeing a decrease in annual home maintenance costs compared to last quarter. Among them, Sacramento led with a drop of 2.41 percent quarter-over-quarter. San Francisco followed closely with a 2.3 percent decrease, and Chicago saw a decline of 1.15 percent.”

But Seattle was a big outlier with an 11.2 percent increase in home maintenance costs year-over-year, the only city to see a double-digit increase. Thumbtack attributed it to “unique circumstances affecting its housing market (as) homeowners place a year-end emphasis on routine upkeep.”

Looking ahead, Thumbtack said “2025 promises to be a year where homeowners double down on maintenance and upkeep. Driven by a desire to protect their investments and maximize home values, homeowners are taking a proactive approach to home care.”

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