07 jun 2023
If you find yourself daydreaming about your next home renovation project before your current one is even finished and have no idea why your spouse keeps calling your admirable enthusiasm an obsession, let’s flock together—we love remodeling too! Today, we want to talk about free tools that make remodeling easier and more enjoyable. They come free with an app that might not come to mind when you think of renovation but can be helpful nonetheless.
Picture this—an app that helps you measure dimensions and surface areas, whip up room plans, and keep project paperwork sorted and contractors in the loop, all in one place. The best part? All these features are free to use. Meet iScanner, a mobile scanning app that won a Webby this year and can make your home projects (and life in general) a lot easier. In this post, we’ll be focusing on the iScanner tools that make remodeling easier.
iScanner has a feature called Area that is number one on our list of free tools to make remodeling easier. It’s a measurement feature for both iOS and Android that uses augmented reality technology. Basically, it allows you to take dims of anything you’re pointing your camera at. After that, it draws up a blueprint with all the measurements, which you can save to your files, print, or share with someone who’s out shopping for materials.
Seasoned renovators know that material estimation mistakes can be both costly and very unpleasant. This means that taking accurate measurements is crucial. They also know, however, that sometimes you have to perform some serious gymnastics to take those measurements. Stretching is surely good for you but maybe not on a stepladder while holding a pencil between your teeth.
Area does away with the need to climb, squat, or crawl while also juggling a measuring tape, pencil, and Post-it note. All you need to do is simply point your camera and align the onscreen guides with the outlines of the object you need to measure until you form a closed loop. The app will calculate the surface area and draw up a blueprint with all the dims for you.
If you’re the lucky owner of an iPhone or an iPad with a built-in LiDAR scanner, you can take advantage of a nifty mode in the Area feature called Room Plan. It allows you to scan a room and get its virtual 3D replica. The feature can also identify space-defining objects like windows, doorways, cabinets, etc. and draw up an interactive 3D plan of the room with all the physical dimensions.
This can help you better visualize your ideas and potential challenges and determine the optimal use of space and furniture arrangement. Plus, it allows you to skip the tedious part when using home renovation apps that allow you to see what various products (wallpapers, furniture, decorations, etc.) will look like in your home. The majority of them require you to draw up a detailed plan of your space, which can be more difficult than it seems. By uploading a ready-made plan, you can start with the fun stuff right away.
If you’re hiring professionals for your renovation project, iScanner can make communication with contractors effortless and much more efficient.
If you, like us, love DIY and remodeling projects, iScanner’s file manager can be a game changer. Create folders in the app for all your past, current, and future projects. This simple step can save you a lot of time and trouble if, in the future, you want to use the same contractor or wonder how much time or materials a certain project will take. It’s much easier to find before & after photos, receipts, or project-related docs and notes in their respective folders than if they’re scattered across your gallery and emails. Cloud sync will also synchronize files and folders on all your devices and allow you to access them on somebody else’s device if you log in with your account.
Don’t hesitate to try these free tools that make remodeling easier and more enjoyable!
