No matter how you shake it, DIY home improvement is no small feat. Forbes reports that the number of home renovation and improvement projects will be on the rise in 2013 compared to previous years. If the idea of laying down your own kitchen tile or re-doing heating and cooling gives you a headache, then you’ll be happy to know there are a few apps out there to make your projects a bit easier.
Nest Mobile
Air conditioning and heating can account for more than half of your home’s electric bill. The Nest is a smart thermostat that learns your heating and cooling preferences, auto-adjusts when you’re away from the house and uses an app that lets your control your home’s temperature from anywhere using your smartphone.
The Nest is available online for $249 (and can be self-installed) and the app is free.
AutoMower
Handy Construction Calculators
Similar to the way a Roomba cleans the kitchen floor, automatic lawn mowers trim the front yard without the hassle of pushing a heavy machine around on a hot afternoon. AutoMower pairs with Husqvarna Automowers so you can tell it when to start mowing, return to the charging station, check its status and even set automated timers for future jobs.
Handy Construction Calculators
$7.99 is steep for an app that does math, but this is a must-have if you’re fond of DIY projects. Handy comes loaded with 70 different measurement tools from roofing to framing. Next time you’re building new shelves or re-doing the living room floors, Handy will give you the tools to measure out your projects without entering in every formula by hand. Some of the calculators even include an experimental GPS method for measuring a large outdoor area.
My Measures & Dimensions
Want to take DIY measurements a step further? My Measures & Dimensions lets you add measurements and angles to photos you take of your home. For example, if you wanted to share a picture of your empty living room with some friends to gather advice on furniture, they won’t be left in the dark as to the exact size of the space. My Measures has lines and numbers tools to add the correct information right on top of the image before you send it out.
Home Depot
It’s not the only place to shop for tools and home supplies, but it does have an app that’s intuitive and useful. The app allows you to make purchases online and arrange for store pick-up, as well as even give you a layout of the store (remember what we said about wandering up and down the aisles). Of course if your local “big hardware store” is Lowe’s, they also have an app.
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Thumbnail Photo by Flickr user leyla.a
Guest Author: Candace Baumgardner
Candace is a mom of three and a computer software engineer. She writes about tech trends from her home in Seattle, which enables her to spend more time with her kids.
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