Just as rapid as the growth in sales of the iPhone (see How big a data plan do you really need for your iPhone, March 21 2011) has been the explosion in the number of apps you can download.
From games and entertainment, through business productivity to planning your travel itinerary, the breadth of the apps available today is breathtaking.
And, as guest blogger, Big Yellow Self Storage has been finding out, the subject of home improvement is no exception. From retailer offerings such as the UK’s B&Q free iPhone app, through forum-based offerings to the digital extensions of popular magazines, there really is something for everyone. So, whether you want to damp proof your bedroom or simply get a shelf straight, help is at your handset.
Among the best of the free apps are:
DIY Buddy (iPhone, Free)
Take a picture of your home improvement project (that lopsided cupboard for example) and with DIY Buddy you can annotate the image with simple blue lines (drawn with your finger) and text. A good way to record progress or to jot down measurements when you give up and head to Ikea instead.
Good Housekeeping @ Home (iPhone, Free)
This is the perfect app for post party cleaning. From stain busting (a dizzying array of stains – courgette anyone?) to do-it-all cleaning – this peppy app is pleasantly designed with good, solid advice. There’s also a design section, so you can imagine what your house would look like if it weren’t covered in zucchini stains.
Home Projects (iPhone, Free)
Half advice portal, half community (it hooks into Facebook), the Home Projects app gives recommendations such as how to tips on tile removal. The content is a little hit and miss, and it doesn’t feel comprehensive enough as a stand-alone DIY app (“fix leak” didn’t return any search results), but there’s plenty to browse and with the community element, looks set to grow.
Big Yellow Space Kit (iPhone, Free)
Should you need to move items out of the way while a room – or even your entire home – undergoes transformation, a self storage unit could provide the answer. Help is at hand in the form of the Big Yellow Space Kit app, which features a cunning room layout tool (which you can populate with furniture), a paint calculator and storage archiver.
This guest article was written by Drew Davies from Big Yellow Self Storage.
These are really nifty little apps! I just might have to look into one or two of them, especially since those teenie little repairs can be done in no time (if you know how) and sometimes I just don’t want to wait for the maintenance guy in our complex.
Delena
The Goodhouskeeping app works great. I used for a big party I had and it made things so much smoother. Thanks
It’s great that there are a bunch of home improvement apps for the iphone and i’m sure droid. I know I always need extensive walkthroughs and help when I do even the simplest of home improvement repairs. I still think the best app is YouTube….videos on any home repair subject imaginable 🙂
Mobile apps are quite a breakthrough. It’s nice to get some tips and ideas even on the simplest of things like cleaning or shelf displaying. Thanks for these useful apps, I’ll give them a try! 🙂
Great list of Apps. I use the Home Depot app almost daily for my construction business.