Home Depot continues AI-enabling pro customers with list builder tool
Professional customers of The Home Depot have another artificial intelligence solution specifically aimed at their needs.
Home Depot is rolling out Material List Builder AI, a new solution designed to help professional renovators, remodelers, builders and specialty tradespeople create actionable project material lists within minutes. Material List Builder AI leverages AI technology to interpret a project’s intent and generate an accurate, grouped list of materials needed for the entire job.
There are multiple ways for users to input project details for material list generation, including writing up project details using natural language that lets Material List Builder AI determine what materials are needed to complete the project, voice-to-text for hands-free list creation, pasting existing lists from other digital documents, and leveraging a premade starter template for common projects such as bathroom or kitchen renovations.
Regardless of input method, user will receive a draft material list organized by each project phase which they can edit before accepting. Once accepted, product recommendations will populate beneath each section, complete with the user’s preferred pricing and inventory availability.
Users can then select and order what they need to complete the project, all through a single supplier. Saved material lists will stay within the list builder tool for quick reorder.
Material List Builder AI is available for free to all members of the Home Depot Pro Xtra within the retailer’s recently launched Project Planning tool. This digital platform is designed to streamline how professional renovators, remodelers and specialty tradespeople plan, manage and execute complex projects.
"Pros often tell us that their most valuable resource for any job is time, so we're focused on delivering solutions that empower Pros to work smarter and faster," said Mike Rowe, executive VP of Pro for The Home Depot. "Material List Builder AI generates reliable, comprehensive job lists in a fraction of the time it would take to complete this process manually, and Pros can then spend more time focused on their customers and the job at hand."
Home Depot serves pro customers
Home Depot has been making a concerted effort to obtain the business of home improvement industry professionals. Some examples in the past 12 months or so include:
- An AI solution called Blueprint Takeoffs, which is designed to provide professional renovators, remodelers and builders with faster, more accurate and cost-effective material lists and estimates – also known as “takeoffs” – for single-family project blueprints.
- The acquisition of GMS Inc. through its specialty trade distribution subsidiary, SRS Distribution Inc. GMS is a leading distributor of specialty building products including drywall, ceilings, steel framing and other complementary products related to remodeling and construction projects in residential and commercial end markets.
- Teaming up with StrataTech Education Group (StrataTech), an operator of skilled trade schools, to expand its Path to Pro program, which aims to educate more people in the skilled trades and help them find careers in the home improvement industry.
- Opening four new distribution centers geared toward serving pro customers in Detroit, southern Los Angeles, San Antonio and Toronto. The centers stock large, bulky merchandise such as lumber, insulation and roofing shingles.
[READ MORE: Home Depot expands loyalty perks for professional customers]
At the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2025, The Home Depot operated a total of 2,356 retail stores and over 1,200 SRS locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.
