It used to be that the best way to get inspiration for a home remodel or improvement project was to walk around Home Depot or browse through issues of Better Home and Gardens. While there’s nothing wrong with these methods, you now have a wide range of simple design tools to help you better plan a redesign, re-arrangement, or physical improvement to your house, apartment, or room.
If you’re planning a home improvement project to increase the value of a home you’re looking to put on the market, be sure to take note of the following tools designed to make the lives of avid DIY-ers and remodelers a little easier.
SketchUp
SketchUp, formerly Google Sketchup, is a 3D modeling software built for a wide range of drawing applications, including:
- Architecture
- Interior design
- Landscaping
- Civil and mechanical engineering
- And even video game design
SketchUp is free for personal use, allowing you to create 3D models of common home improvement projects. You’ll also find 3D models of just about anything on the program’s 3D Warehouse, from simple chairs and tables, to mansions and even zoos.
IKEA Home Planner
If you’re a fan of IKEA, the IKEA Home Planner should be right up your alley. The online tool lets users plan and design their bathroom, kitchen, or home office by choosing from a wide variety of uploaded templates. You’ll even get a detailed product list and corresponding price for each IKEA product used. When you’re done with your design, simply save or print and visit your nearest IKEA store to bring your plan to reality.
ColorJive
Want to get high-quality mockups of how a room will look like with different paint? ColorJive is the perfect tool for the job, helping you paint an entire room in virtual space. Just upload a well-lit photo of the room you want to repaint and use the built-in color palette to choose from any shade and color you can think of. You can pair ColorJive with the huge palette from Sherman Williams, after which you can then order the paint at your local home improvement store by presenting the paint code.
Floorplanner
Floorplanner is a web-based floor planning application that lets users create all kinds of complex layouts to plan any living space in their home. With Floorplanner, you can drag-and-drop a wide range of elements to customize your virtual floor plan and try different layouts. Although there are other floor planning tools out there, Floorplanner is perhaps the most robust. The only downside is that it runs on Flash, which can be slow and clunky at times.
If you have neither the time to use these tools nor the resources to start a home improvement project, you can still sell your home as is to an investor like Blue Hen Homebuyers. We buy all kinds of homes in any shape, age, or condition. Call our offices today at 910-802-2222 to learn more about how our services can help you.