Women increasingly are helping to fuel the home remodeling industry. This kitchen in a Cambridge home was recently remodeled.

Whether it’s expanding and completely renovating an outdated kitchen or adding a family room, the consumer driving the decisions and planning for such projects is just as likely to be the woman of the household as the man.

The results of a recent survey conducted by a network of home improvement contractors showed that more than 46 percent of their customers are women.

Women are also spending a significant amount of money on home improvements, accounting for more than $70 billion worth of purchases in the home improvement industry, up from about $55 billion a decade ago, according to the Home Improvement Research Institute.

Owners of local remodeling companies say that women are an increasingly important part of their business.

“I think primarily it’s women that drive the remodeling industry,” said Chuck Hall, owner of Cornerstone Building and Design in Framingham.

Hall estimated that in about 75 percent of the remodeling projects he does, many of which are kitchen and bath makeovers, women are the lead contacts.

“It’s the woman who is sort of driving the process,” he said.

Renovationexperts.com, a network of over 3,000 home improvement contractors, contacted a random sampling of 948 homeowners who had used the site and found that 46 percent of the respondents were women who were looking for information and planning to make the final decision on which remodeling general contractor to hire.

Doug Hanna, who has been in the remodeling business for 27 years, has noticed that women have become more active decision-makers when it comes to home improvement.

“Over the past couple of years, there certainly have been a number of jobs where the woman has been the primary contact person,” said Hanna, principal of S+H Construction, a residential renovation and custom home building company in Cambridge.

More than a year ago, Hanna’s company completed a home renovation costing about $250,000 that included a 600-square-foot addition for a Newton couple. “I dealt with the woman and never even met the husband,” he said.

In some cases, men aren’t even a part of the household. Local remodelers say they are doing more home improvement work for single women. That’s a trend that could very well continue into the future, as single women are purchasing homes at twice the rate of single men, according to the National Association of Realtors.

A study released by the trade group revealed that single women make up 21 percent of the nation’s home-buying market, second only to married couples, which represent the biggest share of homebuyers at 59 percent of the total market.

Hanna’s company has done a lot of remodeling for divorced women, and he is currently working with two lesbian couples. But Hanna said he also does jobs for married couples where women aren’t as involved in the process as the men are.

Years ago, David Carpenter, a remodeler who has many clients in Brookline, said he dealt more with men. These days, Carpenter’s client base is much more diverse and includes gay and lesbian couples.

Still, Carpenter has finished many renovation projects for married couples in their 30s and 40s who have children. In many of those cases, the woman has taken a break from her career to stay home with the kids and she’s the one who acts as a “home manager,” said Carpenter.

“Women are the primary focus and driving force of every remodeling company that really knows what they’re doing and is really focusing on what’s required to have a quality business,” said Carpenter, owner of Dedham-based David L. Carpenter Inc.

When it comes to working with women consumers, local contractors said they have noticed a few differences.

‘Fundamental Differences’
Hanna and Hall say that in many cases, men tend to be more focused on the project’s budget, while women are more interested in details like the finishes and the design features they desire.

Carpenter said that women tend to be more vocal about their needs and dreams for a project and some become more emotionally involved with the project during the process.

Recently, Carpenter met with a couple whose Concord ranch-style home his company was transforming into a Colonial, a complex project costing about $300,000. Having worked for the couple before, he knew both the husband and wife well, but during the meeting, as Carpenter was discussing the project’s cost and the contractual agreements, the wife burst into tears and left the room.

Carpenter said he was so wrapped up in talking about practical matters like finances and contracts that he neglected to be sensitive to the customer’s needs and feelings.

“I think sometimes it all comes down to fundamental differences between men and women,” he said.

Carpenter is so sensitive to such differences that in selecting a successor to run his company, he has chosen to train a man whom he believes interacts well with consumers, particularly women.

“We are constantly in people’s homes and many times we’re there with women and children,” he said. “We cannot hire ill-mannered people. We must be gentlemen.”

Peter S. Feinmann, who says his Arlington-based remodeling company has strong relationships with women consumers, said he hasn’t noticed such clear-cut differences in working with female and male clients.

Feinmann’s award-winning company, Feinmann, Architects, Renovators, Builders, is currently doing work for a widow and single woman. Women are the primary contacts in roughly 60 to 70 percent of the projects his company handles, Feinmann estimated.

With some renovations, men are very focused on the details, while women don’t want to be involved with the design, Feinmann said, but generally, his company works with both men and women who demand high-level, concierge-style service.

“We want to reach out to people who won’t compromise on detail and design,” said Feinmann.

To Feinmann, it’s more critical to hire people who have good customer service skills and are sensitive to all clients’ needs.

Local remodelers interviewed by Banker & Tradesman said they aren’t doing anything specific to market to or target female consumers.

But Hall, the Framingham contractor, said his marketing tends to emphasize how neat and unobtrusive his workers are.

“We market more toward having people understand that when you have a home renovation [done] people will be with you eight hours a day,” he said.