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Whatever type of DIY, construction, or home improvement project is next on your list, there’s an app for that.
You know the feeling—when you’re sitting in one particular room in your house, eyeing the furniture you’ve seen a million times, when suddenly, a spark of inspiration hits you.
What if you created a picture frame in the shape of a heart and put a selection of your wedding photos in it? Wouldn’t that look amazing over the sofa?
Or no, what if you bought a shelving unit that you could hang on the wall and then get rid of that old bookcase whose wood is already color-stained from years of wear? Not only would it mean getting rid of old furniture, but it would also mean creating more floor space in the living room. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
And what if you could fit a corner armchair where the bookcase used to be? But how big is your room, and how big could you go with your cozy armchair?
You have tons of great ideas, but you need to go about them in a practical way. Attacking everything at once is not the answer. Creating a list of your ideas and going through them one by one? Now we’re talking.
Once you’ve got your to-do list in order, it’s time to start tackling your projects and crossing them off one by one. Of course, it can seem overwhelming, with so much ahead of you, and not much guidance available.
There’s a ton of guidance available for any do-it-your-selfer who wants to complete a home improvement project (or projects). Whether you know exactly what you want to do and just need tools to help carry it out, or you need to search for inspiration on how to improve your home—there are loads of apps that can help you. Some of these apps may actually knock your socks off when you see how practical and helpful they can be.
The question is, what DIY/home improvement project are you ready to tackle first?
Redesigning a Room
Redesigning a room can take place at a lot of different levels. For example, one kind of redesign can be buying a new piece of furniture, like a sofa or bookcase, and throwing out the old one. While this is certainly a momentous occasion (especially if you’ve had said piece of furniture for many years), it’s not at the same level as chucking out all your furniture, knocking down walls, re-painting walls, or re-configuring the space.
The good news is, whether you’re looking for one piece of furniture or many, the apps you use will be the same. Houzz Interior Design Ideas is a good app for when you’re looking for inspiration; it includes millions of photos of home interiors and you can browse until your eyes start to water.
If you already have a few pieces of furniture in mind and just need help deciding between them, you can use the Homestyler app, which allows you to upload a picture of your room and then see how various furniture and decor would look in it. This app is pretty amazing; it can give you a more accurate image of how your room will look than an actual graphic designer.
If you’re interested in reconfiguring your space, or maximizing a small space, you may enjoy some additional apps, like MagicPlan or RoomScan Pro, which turn your phone into a measuring tool and let you take accurate measurements of your space (room, house, yard, etc.).
Painting
Forget the furniture, forget moving things around—your walls are peeling and that’s your main DIY project for now.
If you don’t know what color you want, apps like The Home Depot, ColorSnap Visualizer, and Homestyler can help you find the perfect color for your walls. If you have a picture in your head of the color you want but don’t know how to find it in real life, the latter 2 apps can match your dream color to an actual paint shade, and then project how your room or house will look with it. Technology never ceases to amaze!
DIY Construction Projects, Big and Small
Perhaps you’re more of a builder than a decorator; and you’ve been just itching to build yourself a new bed, mailbox, deck, or chair. Whether you have experience with construction or are a complete newbie, you can choose an app that will make your project a lot easier, cost-efficient, and fun.
iHandy Carpenter and Handyman Calculator are apps you can use once you already know what you want to do and how you want to do it.
iHandy Carpenter includes actual tools, including a plumb bob, surface level, bubble level bar, steel protractor, and steel ruler. Handyman Calculator is used by professionals and non-professionals alike; it includes a time tracker, to-do list, and 30+ different kinds of calculators that can help you with your DIY project.
If you want to build something but have no idea where to start, you can turn to WikiHow, quite possibly the world’s most popular how-to resource. Here you can find detailed steps for how to build x, y, z; you can also find out how to make delicious lemonade to refresh yourself as you work. The site literally includes how-tos about everything.
If you prefer a more aesthetically-pleasing site, Snapguide is a similar app that includes guides on everything from cooking to repairs, from gardening to crafts, and everything in between.
Goal-Oriented or Just For Fun?
There are three main reasons why people attempt DIY, construction, and home improvement projects:
They need or want new furniture/a new look for the house
DIY is often less expensive than hiring a professional/buying ready-made
For fun
Because there are so many top-rated DIY/Home improvement apps, you are sure to find one that suits your purposes.
For those who attempt DIY projects in order to reach an end goal or to save money, there are apps that can do exactly that. For those who attempt these projects for the pleasure of it, there are apps that can give them endless hours of entertainment, ideas, and methods for how to carry them out.
Once you set down your priority list of DIY projects, and understand why you’re doing them, the only question that remains is, which app will suit your purpose best?
