best home improvement apps - best home improvement websites

Best Home Improvement Apps - Best Home ImprovementWebsites

Websites

While many social-networking sites are not much more than platforms for chatter, others haveevolved into fantastic tools for renovation, build ing, and decorating projects. Designers, forinstance, are starting to use private Pinterest boards to share ideas with clients by pinning images ofpaint colors, fabric samples, and more. "The boards keep us organized and create a dynamicdialogue," says designer Jayne Michaels.

Dering Hall helps homeowners Sunset Plumbing find interior designers. Browse hundreds ofportfolios to choose a firm, or, if you're just looking for inspiration, scroll through photo galleriesorganized by room and style. Another site, Cultivate, focuses on kitchen redos. You can alsocrowdsource a solution for a renovation problem in one of its lively, themed forums.

Interactive maps on Porch allow you to search for local architects and trade professionals, view theirwork, and even find out whether your neighbors or Facebook friends have used their services.

Apps

Homezada

A robust app that corrals many headaches of homeowning, from insurance to maintenance. It canalso be a big help with a renovation: Set project time lines, forecast your spending, track budgets,and manage your to-do's. Free; itunes.com, googleplay.com.

Magicplan

Create accurate floor plans by taking pictures of a space with your smartphone. Instructions arestraightforward, and the app lets you mark doorways and windows. Rooms can even be combinedinto a multispace diagram. Free; itunes.com, googleplay.com.

Home Design 3D

If your renovation is more of a redecoration, this app might be just what you need. Draw rooms,choose flooring, "hang" wallpaper, and share it all via Dropbox. A day/night function shows wherelight falls inside a room throughout the day. $7; itunes.com.

Ikea Catalog

Spot http://www.plumbingkey.com/ a great sofa in the Ikea catalog? Scan the image with your smartphone or tablet, snap a picture of the room you want to see it in, and voilà ! There it is. Works forapproximately 90 items in the store's current line. Free; itunes.com, googleplay.com.

Adornably

Design and shopping in one place. Tap on furnishings in the app's gallery and "place" them in apicture of a room on your iPad. Use your finger to move and arrange the items -- then just click topurchase the ones you want. Free; itunes.com.

Illustration by Steven Guarnaccia

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