What did we spend $173B on in 2002?
Yep, it is what has kept the economy from totally tanking while George W. spends billions waging war in distant lands rather than focusing on creating new jobs. According to this New York Times story:
In 2002, homeowners in the United States spent $173 billion remodeling their homes — 10 percent more than in 2001, according to the National Association of Home Builders. But only an estimated 14 percent of that work involved an architect or designer, said Gopal Ahluwalia, the association's vice president for research.