Tag: online tool

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Design Designers Expert Tips

How credible is your design business? Find out with new Houzz impact score

Industry professionals now have to opportunity to quickly gain insight into their level of business credibility online with the Houzz Pro online impact score. Based on an analysis of nearly one million professionals worldwide, including designers, builders and speciality contractors, the score reflects the strength of your website and Houzz profile. Houzz provides the total score and a breakdown of its components, as well as a benchmark against the top 10% of pros in each category.

In March 2021, Houzz conducted a survey of more than 500 homeowners who were planning, in the middle of, or had completed a renovation within the past two years. The survey found that online credibility is a significant factor in homeowners’ hiring decisions, with two-thirds reporting that a pro’s online presence, along with the ability to offer remote collaboration tools, are major determinants.

Photography: Charles Deluvio

“The home renovation industry is booming, but our research shows that a majority of pros could attract and close more of the work they really want,” says Tony Been, ANZ managing director at Houzz.

Even among homeowners who rely on word-of-mouth referrals to find pros, more than two in five reported that they conduct additional research, including reviewing their business website and profile, reviews and project portfolio, before deciding to make contact.

Photography: Daniel McCullough

“Even pros who rely on word-of-mouth referrals may miss out on significant new business opportunities, since those prospects conduct additional research to confirm the recommendation before reaching out,” Tony explains. “With a more credible online presence, they’ll build a stronger pipeline for the long-term.”

The Houzz survey also uncovered the key factors impacting homeowners’ decisions to hire specific professionals for their project. Top priorities included pricing within their budget, communication and organisation skills, and availability.

For more information.

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Categories
Interviews RENO ADDICT

Visualise paint colours with new digital render service

Queenslander renders

Paint colour selection can be one of the trickiest parts of building or renovating. Not only are many people unable to see pictures in their mind (ie. they literally don’t have a mind’s eye), but even those that can often struggle to decipher the differences between shades. And when you consider there are thousands of white variations alone, it’s easy to see why the whole process is rather fraught!

But this is where the entrepreneurial painter Gary Wilson of Imago comes in. Recently launched, Gary’s online offering includes colour consulting and a digital render service that enables people to realistically visualise their future colour schemes thereby avoiding costly mistakes. The service is available for interiors, exteriors and commercial premises too.

Queenslander renders

“With so many colour options out there, it can be daunting trying to choose the right colours. Again and again over the years, I’ve really noticed people are either unable to make a decision on what colours to select or are unsure if the colours they have chosen are right,” says Gary who is also the director of Brisbane’s Applied and Decorative Painting and has been a painter for 25 years.

BEFORE existing home
BEFORE original home

AFTER digital render
AFTER A digital render of a proposed new colour scheme

“I often thought to myself there had to be a better way, to ultimately remove the guess work before people spend all that money painting their place,” says Gary, who offers digital renders illustrating up to three colour schemes from a seriously affordable $49.

BEFORE existing interior
BEFORE original interior

AFTER What a great way to experiment with interior paint!
AFTER digital render. What a great way to experiment with interior paint!

“Digital imaging lets you realistically see how colour schemes will look before you spend all that money painting your home. I offer digital renders to all my clients now and they love them and I really believe everyone embarking on a painting project should inform themselves on how it will look in advance,” says Gary.

BEFORE existing church
BEFORE existing church

AFTER digital render
AFTER A digital render illustrates how the church would look painted a shade of grey

And renders aside, Imago also has a team of professional colour consultants that can step in if you’re really in a paint quandary. From just $125 per consultation, customers simply answer a quick questionnaire before uploading images of their property after which an online colour consultant delivers colour scheme recommendations within three business days.

BEFORE existing home
BEFORE existing home

AFTER digital render
AFTER digital render

For more | How to choose white paint for walls

Categories
Bedrooms Expert Tips

Create your own dream world with Sleepmaker

Image: Hale Mercantile Co. Click for details.

Sponsored by Sleepmaker

How good is sleep?! I seem to have a complicated relationship with it at the moment. Being 26 weeks pregnant, I’m feeling the urge to nap way more often but when it comes to bedtime, I’m not always succeeding at getting comfy!

Image: Country Road. Click for details.
Image: Country Road. Click for details.

I’m definitely glad we got a new memory foam mattress recently though. You’ve got to start from the best possible place, even when getting those zeds doesn’t come as easily as it usually does!

The importance of a good mattress and/or bed is often neglected when we concentrate on the aesthetics of our bedrooms. Sometimes getting the perfect bedsides, right height table lamps, the latest linen and the killer combo of decorative cushions (yes, I bet your other halves hate them too, ladies!) seems much more significant! But the right bed, one where you spend so much of your life, can make a massive difference to your health and mood.

Image: Hale Mercantile Co. Click for details.
Image: Hale Mercantile Co. Click for details.

But if the thought of traipsing around bed showrooms is what has made you keep putting the task in the too-hard basket, Sleepmaker’s online comfort selector tool can help.

By answering a few quick questions, it can make some recommendations which will narrow down the search for you and save you time. Of course you still need to go and lie on the thing and make sure it’s for you, but it can make the task a little less overwhelming. There really are so many options with beds these days, as technology has come on so much. I personally love the idea of starting with a recommendation or shortlist!

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 10.42.12 AM

You’ll answer questions for you (and your partner if applicable); everything from your weight, age, size preference, budget, any aches and pains you usually wake with and how you sleep, then enter your postcode to choose from your nearest stores, before being given a bed suggestion. You don’t even have to hand over your email address for the privilege, but you can easily email the details to yourself. They even suggest your perfect pillows!

Screen Shot 2015-01-12 at 10.42.32 AM

There are so many reasons a good bed is important. As Sleepmaker say: “Often people see purchasing a mattress as just something that meets a functional need and they miss the opportunity for it to become a place of pure comfort.”

They suggest three steps to experience your own dream world:

  • Take one perfect SleepMaker bed
  • Lay your head on a dreamy SleepMaker pillow
  • And top it all off with quality protectors and a cosy quilt.

So, check out the Sleepmaker online comfort selector tool today and get started on choosing your new bed and creating your own dream world!

Need more bedroom inspiration? We have a whole section on that! And kids’ rooms too! Later this month, we’ll show you how to bring together the other elements of your perfect bedroom, brought to you by Sleepmaker.

Categories
Bathrooms

New easy online 3D bathroom planner lets you design yourself

Whether you’re designing a brand new bathroom or planning a renovation, it’s now easier than ever thanks to the 3D Bathroom Planner recently launched by Reece.

Reece 3D Planner - Bring your bathroom plans to life

This innovative online planning tool is already helping home owners become their own designer and bring bathroom ideas to life in just a few clicks. You to select and swap products to create the perfect look for your bathroom space.

Reece marketing manager Belinda Geels said that making the bathroom design experience as easy and visual as possible was key to its development. As well as allowing users to select from the entire range of Reece bathroom products and preview how they’ll look, the 3D Bathroom Planner also lets you choose fittings, lighting and tiles to complete the look.

Continue reading “New easy online 3D bathroom planner lets you design yourself”