Our homes are just not cool enough: More local millennials adding air conditioning

Millennial homeowners in Pierce and Thurston counties are increasingly adding air conditioning to their list of renovations after buying a home.

That’s according to a report by HomeAdvisor, a Colorado company that connects homeowners with contractors.

Installing air conditioning — not heating — was the third most-popular home improvement for millennials, behind home painting and installing a concrete patio, the company reported.

For homeowners as a whole using the website, installing AC was sixth most-popular home improvement.

People in their 20s and 30s, millennials, also are joining the ranks of homeowners by purchasing homes 30 years or older.

The company’s data show that Tacoma’s millennials will hire contractors to build an addition to their homes more frequently than homeowners as a whole, said Brad Hunter, HomeAdvisor chief economist in a news release.

“Older homes also have small closets, so they often build additional closets or put in closet organization systems,” Hunter said.

The data comes from HomeAdvisor’s true cost guide, a website that compares the cost of services.

The top five home improvements for millennial homeowners in Pierce and Thurston counties:

▪ Paint a home exterior

▪ Install concrete patio

▪ Install air conditioning

▪ Build a deck or porch

▪ Remodel a bathroom

The top five home improvements for all homeowners in Pierce and Thurston counties:

▪ Paint a home exterior

▪ Remodel a bathroom

▪ Build a deck or porch

▪ Install concrete patio

▪ Build an addition

“Older homes that have had the same residence for two or three decades tend to have a lot of deferred maintenance issues, and those typically don't get addressed until somebody else takes over the home,” Hunter said. “That, in many cases, is a millennial.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Our homes are just not cool enough: More local millennials adding air conditioning."