Tap into Home Renovation

Does your new year include a new home? If you want to refresh your living space, our modern era has many helpful options at your fingertips — literally. Why not tap into home renovation apps right from your phone that put contracting and design powers in the palm of your hand? Whether you want to remodel a kitchen or bathroom, landscape a garden, or tackle a full-blown interior makeover, here are a few design apps to make your next improvement project easier than ever.

Houzz

If you like one-stop shopping, Houzz offers an all-in-one experience for ideas, design, and
decor. More than 20 million photos of indoor and outdoor spaces provide infinite inspiration, and the “My Room 3D” virtual feature lets you test-drive millions of products for any part of your home. If something catches your eye, whether a double-vanity sink or the perfect laundry room tile, you can purchase furniture and materials directly through the app. Does finishing your project require calling in a pro? The app has an extensive network of 2.5 million for you to research and select from.

Magicplan

Contractors swear by the design power of Magicplan, but that doesn’t mean DIY homeowners can’t benefit from it too. The app’s fancy augmented reality and LiDAR scanning features use your phone’s camera to make measuring easy. Simply snap a picture to get room dimensions and create floor plans, and then add furnishings and go on a virtual tour. The app’s estimate feature means no messing with manual calculations, and the sketching feature lets you add notes and draw out ideas to share with friends, family or professionals working on your project.

Home Design 3D

Renovation meets photorealism in the Home Design 3D app. First, design your floor plan using drawing tools to easily add rooms, alter walls, and place windows and doors. Then select from over 1,000 pieces of furniture to express your style. Last, tour your creation as if you were standing inside using the cutting-edge 3D visualizer tool with photorealistic renderings. You can even import photos and add them anywhere to your design. A compass function shows where light falls at different times of the day for previewing how your work will look at any hour.

RoomScan Pro

Accurate measurements are crucial to starting any home renovation or redecorating project, and RoomScan Pro is the only app that generates a floor plan by tapping your phone against the walls in your home. How neat is that? It also includes ARKit scanning that works with your phone camera to measure dimensions, including openings and doors, with ExteriorScan and PlotScan features for yards, gardens, and outdoor spaces. RoomScan Pro is a powerful tool, yet a bit complex. Take the time to watch a few tutorial videos for this one before you get going to learn the ins and outs.