New home renovation platform Block launched today, seeking to offer an "all-inclusive" resource for homeowners to design, permit, and hire professionals for their bathroom remodeling project.
From start to finish, Block's process takes about three weeks and with the starting price of $15,000. Founder Koda Wang tells Curbed, “It’s $400 billion dollar market for home renovations, yet most people are turning to two guys with a van they found on Angie’s List or to a neighbor who gave them the number of a guy they know,” adding, “People deserve a modern way of going about a home renovation.”
Founded by Koda Wang, former chief customer officer at Rent the Runway and chief operating officer at Huffpo, and Luke Sherwin, co-founder and former creative director of Casper, Block applies the direct-to-consumer brand playbook to the world of home renovations. That means streamlining the customer experience, simplifying choices, and improving price transparency. Block’s sales pitch? “An Instagram-worthy bathroom in a box.”
Procurement of services, parts, and materials are the most common sources of delays and cost overruns in renovations and Wang and Sherwin sought to alleviate those pain points by offering a one-stop renovation shop. Block is launching with bathrooms—the second most common renovation and one of the easiest to systematize—and offering its service to residents in the New York-New Jersey area.