The Top Apps for Home Improvement Professionals
Nowadays, there's an app for everything. You can use your smart phone to video-chat with friends in real time, to track your miles and speed while you run, and to simulate the uncorking of a champagne bottle. What's more, new applications are being developed every day, and the possibilities are growing seemingly more endless. Chances are, if you've imagined it, it's already an app, or else it will be in the near future. (Although this is true for the unimaginable as well: did you know there's now an iPad app for cats??)
Given this reality, it should come as no surprise that a large number of apps have been created for home improvement professionals. So much of what you do is on-the-go, and application developers recognize this. These apps are designed to make your life a little easier by providing portable support tools that can be used during various construction and business processes.
Here is a non-exhaustive list, in no particular order, of the best smart phone applications for home improvement contractors.
1. Plan Grid
Cost: Free, but with in-app purchases available
This app allows contractors and architects to collaborate on project plans, share specs and photos, and make markups that can then be seen by others working on the job. Ensure everyone is always on the same page by sending and receiving real-time project updates. Available on iTunes and Google Play.
2. Home Builder Pro Calcs
Cost: $4.99
Looking for a faster, easier way to calculate unit conversions? Home Builder Pro Calcs helps users compute hours, cost estimates, and quantity take-offs, which can then be saved and shared with others. Available on iTunes.
3. ColorSnap by Sherwin Williams
Cost: Free
ColorSnap is a great application for helping painting contractors to work with their clients on narrowing down a paint color. You can match captured images to Sherwin William paint colors and scan color chips to preview any shade in a virtual setting, giving you a feel for what it might look like in a given room. Available on iTunes and Google Play.
4. Expensify
Cost: Free
For those who are tired of tedious expense reports, Expensify is the perfect solution. The app includes features for capturing receipts, tracking time and mileage, and creating expense reports quickly and with much greater ease. What's more, the tech community has recognized it as the best expense reporting application around. Available on iTunes and Google Play.
5. Construction Helper
Cost: $1.60
Here's another popular app for performing tricky calculations. Use it to compute area, volume, and weight, to convert units, and to save your calculations for later use. Available on Google Play.
6. iBlueprint
Cost: $0.99
Designed for home improvement contractors of all trades, iBlueprint enables users to create and export custom floor plans. Having this capability makes it easier to visualize the home, and users can revisit the layout when generating proposals and purchasing materials, guaranteeing that nothing is overlooked. Available on iTunes.
7. Planimeter
Cost: $7.99
Planimeter is the ultimate resource when it comes to mapping out large-scale construction projects. The app users GPS technology, allowing contractors to digitally locate a site and measure the project areas by dropping pins on the map. According to the experts at AppAdvice, this is "the essential distance mapping app." Available on iTunes and Google Play.
8. Paint Remedy by The Paint Quality Institute
Cost: Free
Once available only as a hard-copy guide, Paint Remedy is now a portable tool for painting contractors and handy homeowners. Scroll through the lists and images to determine which paint problem you're currently experiencing and how to resolve it. Essentially, this is the WebMD of the painting industry -- but much more reliable. Available on iTunes.
9. SmartBidNet
Cost: The app is free, but is only accessible to paying subscribers
This app provides extensive features, including but not limited to organization of bid project details, electronic invitations to bid, and subcontractor management. Visit the app site for more details on everything that SmartBidNet has to offer. Available on iTunes and Google Play.
10. Photo Measures
Cost: $6.99
With Photo Measures, you can snap photos of the job site and write dimensions directly on the image. Zoom in for further precision, add notes, and email the dimensions to employees and other interested parties. Available on iTunes and Google Play. What apps do you use to smooth out your home improvement processes?
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