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Plenty of Palo Alto companies began in a garage. Houzz began with a house. In 2006 a young couple bought an old ranch house in Palo Alto and set out to turn it into a family home. The remodel was harder than they expected. Finding the right architect, explaining what they wanted and comparing ideas took far too long. Three years later the couple launched a website to fix that problem. It became Houzz, one of the best known home design platforms in the world.
This profile covers the Palo Alto roots of Houzz, its growth from a side project into a global company and what we could and could not confirm about its offices. If you are thinking about a remodel of your own, our page on building permits and remodeling explains the local rules.
The founders
Houzz was founded by Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen, a married couple who grew up in Israel. According to the Carnegie Corporation's Great Immigrants profile of Cohen, the two met on a long bus ride in Thailand after he finished his military service. Cohen earned degrees in mathematics and computer science and an MBA from Tel Aviv University. By the mid 2000s he was a senior director of engineering at eBay. Tatarko had worked in finance.
Ynet, the Israeli news site, reported in 2011 that Tatarko left her job at an investment house to work on Houzz while Cohen built the website. The couple ran the company while raising two children, then aged about 6 and 10.
A Palo Alto remodel, 2006 to 2009
The Carnegie profile says Cohen and Tatarko bought an old ranch house in Palo Alto in 2006, hoping to turn it into a dream home for their young sons. Like many Palo Alto buyers, they found the house itself was only the start. Planning the work meant finding professionals, sharing ideas and agreeing on a vision. They found that hard to do.
Ranch houses and other postwar homes make up much of Palo Alto's housing stock, including about 2,700 Eichler homes by the city's count. Remodeling them is a local pastime and a local headache. Our page on Eichler homes in Palo Alto covers one of the best known types. Our real estate guide covers the local housing market.
Launching the site in 2009
Houzz went online in February 2009. Wikipedia says Cohen coded the first website himself. The couple asked a few Bay Area architects to upload portfolios so home renovators could browse their work for ideas. Ynet added that they also talked to the parents of their children's classmates, who were planning remodels of their own.
The site spread by word of mouth. Homeowners and professionals outside the Bay Area started emailing to ask the founders to add categories and regions. Houzz became a formal company in the fall of 2010. Its first iPad app followed in November 2010.
The company quickly picked up a nickname. By 2011 Ynet said it had been called "the Wikipedia of home design." The idea was simple. Homeowners save photos into collections the site calls ideabooks, click a photo to see who designed the room and contact that professional directly.
From the kitchen table to an office
Like many local startups, Houzz started without an office. Ynet reported that early team members worked from home. Once investors came in, the founders opened an office and the staff moved in together. One early hire was a former editor-in-chief of Sunset, the Western lifestyle magazine that was long based in Menlo Park.
By 2011 Ynet counted 50 employees in the United States plus two mobile developers in Israel. A design blogger who visited in 2012 described meeting the founders at the company's home base in Palo Alto and filming at Houzz headquarters the next morning.
Good to know
- We could not confirm Houzz's office street addresses in a primary source, so this page does not list them.
- Houzz's founders have not published the address of the house that inspired the company. It is a private home.
- Houzz offices are private workplaces with no visitor center.
Global growth, 2014 to 2019
Houzz grew fast in the 2010s. Key steps reported by Wikipedia include:
- January 2014. Offices and local managers in the UK, Germany and Australia. About 35 percent of traffic already came from outside the US.
- Late 2014. Expansion to the rest of Europe and into Asia, starting with Japan.
- August 2015. First acquisition, the gardening and home advice site GardenWeb, from NBCUniversal.
- 2016 to 2017. View in My Room tools let users place products from the Houzz Marketplace in their own homes, first in photos and then in 3D augmented reality.
- February 2018. Acquisition of IvyMark, business software for interior designers.
- June 2019. About 40 million users, as reported at the time.
Houzz Pro and the shift to software
In April 2020 Houzz launched Houzz Pro, software that helps contractors, designers and remodelers run their businesses. Wikipedia describes it as a suite with project management, estimating and 3D design tools. In December 2021 Houzz bought ConX, a takeoff and estimating tool. It then added Houzz Pro Takeoffs. In 2024 it added AI tools under the AutoMate name.
Leadership changed in 2024. Houzz announced in November 2023 that Cohen, who had been president since the start, would become chief executive on January 1, 2024. Tatarko, CEO for 13 years, moved to executive chair. The company's press page in late 2026 shows a steady stream of releases, including quarterly surveys of construction and design professionals published as recently as October 21, 2026.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Founders buy an old ranch house in Palo Alto. |
| February 2009 | Houzz website launches. |
| Fall 2010 | Houzz becomes a company; iPad app follows in November. |
| 2011 | About 50 US employees. |
| 2014 | Offices open in the UK, Germany and Australia. |
| April 2020 | Houzz Pro launches. |
| January 1, 2024 | Alon Cohen becomes CEO; Adi Tatarko becomes executive chair. |
A very Palo Alto story
Houzz fits the city in an unusual way. Most Palo Alto startups solve problems for businesses or engineers. Houzz solved a problem its founders met at home, in a neighborhood full of older houses being rebuilt. Its first users were people like its founders: Bay Area homeowners planning a remodel and the local architects who uploaded their portfolios.
It also shows a quieter path than the famous garage stories. There was no single famous address and no landmark plaque. The company grew from a home remodel to a laptop project, then to a shared office and on to a global business. For the startups that follow similar paths today, see our Palo Alto startups hub and the coworking guide. For other local company histories, browse our guide to Palo Alto companies.
Frequently asked questions
Was Houzz founded in Palo Alto?
Yes. Founders Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen bought an old ranch house in Palo Alto in 2006 and struggled to plan its remodel. That experience led them to launch Houzz as a website in February 2009. Houzz became a company in the fall of 2010 and Wikipedia still lists Palo Alto as its base.
Who founded Houzz?
Houzz was founded by the married couple Adi Tatarko and Alon Cohen. Cohen, then a senior engineering leader at eBay, coded the first website himself. Tatarko served as chief executive until the end of 2023. Cohen became CEO on January 1, 2024 and Tatarko became executive chair.
Where are Houzz's offices in Palo Alto?
Houzz has described itself as based in Palo Alto since its start. Early staff worked from home until the founders opened an office after raising money. We could not confirm the street addresses of its offices in a primary source, so we do not publish them.
What does Houzz do?
Houzz is a website and app for home remodeling and design. Homeowners browse millions of photos and find architects, designers and contractors. Since 2020 it has also sold Houzz Pro, business software that professionals use for estimates, project management and 3D floor plans.
Is Houzz still active?
Yes. Houzz continues to run its consumer site and Houzz Pro software and to publish product news and industry surveys. Its press page listed a new survey release on October 21, 2026.