Design-build companies on the 2026 Top 500 grew revenue nearly 10 percent as average job prices climbed and whole-house work moved to the front. The 97 companies in the segment reported $1.1 billion in 2025 remodeling revenue and 7,750 completed jobs.
Among the 96 firms with comparable revenue and job records for both years, revenue increased from $915 million in 2024 to just over $1 billion in 2025, a gain of 9.6 percent. Sixty-eight of the 96 comparable companies increased remodeling revenue, and the median company posted growth of 9.9 percent.
The median company still increased its job count by 1 percent, and the split was almost perfectly balanced: 48 companies completed more jobs, 46 completed fewer and two were unchanged. The aggregate decline, in other words, did not reflect a broad retreat. It resulted from larger reductions at a relatively small number of companies.
Design-build also held its job volume much better than the Top 500 as a whole. Job volume across all segments fell 13.4 percent, compared with the 2.5 percent decline among design-build firms. For companies whose work typically involves long sales cycles, design development, permitting, and six-figure construction commitments, the stability stands out.
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Bigger Projects Drive Growth
The sector made up for the modest loss of volume with substantially larger tickets. Dividing comparable-company revenue by completed jobs produces an average project value of approximately $130,700 in 2025, up from $116,300 in 2024, an increase of 12.4 percent. Looking at the median of each company’s average job price produces an even larger shift, from roughly $150,700 to $175,700, or 16.6 percent.
Those figures help explain how revenue could grow while the aggregate number of projects declined. Sixty-three of the 96 comparable companies increased their average revenue per job. The median company-level increase was 9.8 percent. Some of that gain likely reflects higher labor and material prices, but the size of the change also points to project mix: more extensive scopes, more design content, and more homeowners choosing to undertake one consequential renovation rather than several smaller projects.
The job-type mix supports that conclusion. In a companion 99-company design-build segment overview, whole-house projects account for 20.2 percent of reported work, followed closely by kitchens at 19.3 percent and baths at 15.7 percent. In the 2023 design-build analysis used as a model for this story, kitchens ranked first at 20.4 percent, followed by whole-house projects at 19.6 percent and baths at 16.8 percent. The comparison is not strictly year over year because the available source does not include 2024 job-type shares, but the directional change is clear: whole-house work has edged into the lead, while kitchen and bath shares have softened slightly.
That shift toward full remodeling creates a distinct challenge for firms that rely on volume. While a bathroom renovation might be completed in weeks and requires a single point of contact, a whole-house project can span months and involves coordinating architecture, interior design, engineering, and construction. Companies that excel at managing this complexity are better positioned to capture larger contracts.
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Firms Adapting to the Shift
Sea Pointe Design & Remodel illustrates the pattern. The Irvine, California, company increased remodeling revenue 11.1 percent to $23.4 million while its job count rose from 90 to 96. President Lauren Mills credits both employees and homeowners for the company’s place on the list. The recognition, she says, belongs “to our team and to the clients who trust us with their homes.” Sea Pointe is “energized by where the industry is headed” and plans to bring the same experience to more homeowners as it grows.
Other companies generated significantly more revenue with fewer projects. Revive Design and Renovation increased revenue 57.3 percent to $32.4 million while completing 155 jobs, down from 179. Harrell Design + Build raised revenue 39.3 percent to $22.7 million even as its project count moved from 85 to 64. Those results are not necessarily a prescription for every company, but they demonstrate the leverage created by larger, more full projects.
Neil Kelly Company offers another view of the market. Its revenue declined 2.2 percent to $36.5 million, and completed projects fell from 839 to 729. Yet its calculated average revenue per job increased about 12.6 percent. CEO Dan Watson believes the next opportunity lies in demand that has been delayed rather than eliminated. “The winners in 2026 will treat parked demand as opportunity,” he says, by meeting homeowners’ need to reinvest in their existing homes “with honesty and expertise.”
Airoom reported $58.1 million in remodeling revenue. Although that was down 3.4 percent from the prior year, the Chicago-area company is looking beyond organic growth in one market. Director of Operations Maxx Klein says Airoom is focused on the Midwest and Southeast and is seeking partnerships with established builders and remodelers that need “the infrastructure to grow,” or a thoughtful succession path. After 68 years, he says, the company’s design-build platform is “proven and portable.”
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Trust Remains Central to Lead Generation
That emphasis on trust remains fundamental to design-build. The average company devoted 3.3 percent of remodeling revenue to marketing, while the median spent 2 percent. Referrals generated an average 23.1 percent of leads, repeat business accounted for 18.5 percent, and company websites supplied another 18 percent. Together, those three sources represented nearly 60 percent of the segment’s leads. The median cost per issued lead was $416.50.
The lead mix has changed little from the earlier design-build snapshot, and for good reason. Homeowners committing to a $150,000, $300,000, or larger renovation are not simply buying a product but selecting a team that may be inside their home for months and will make hundreds of decisions with them. Reputation, prior experience, and evidence of a disciplined process remain more persuasive than advertising alone.
The 2026 Top 500 results ultimately describe a sector that is growing more through value than volume. Revenue is higher, job counts are nearly stable, and average project prices have moved decisively upward. Whole-house work now leads the job mix, and the strongest companies continue to rely on repeat clients, referrals, and trusted local brands.
For design-build remodelers, the opportunity is not simply to sell more projects. It is to capture the right projects, qualify them carefully and deliver the sophisticated experience that larger contracts demand. In a market of parked demand and selective consumers, that combination of trust, expertise, and operational control may be the most durable growth strategy of all.