Wouldnt you like a few handy tools that wont slaughter your remodeling budget? Theres an app for that! So just crank up your trusty Apple iPhone and tackle your drywall or kitchen cabinet refinishing project. You heard it right, for all you DIY types and gadget addicts, your prayers have been answered.
Ive done the homework for you and dug up 20 of the best apps to make your home improvement tasks and honey-do list items simpler (or more fun to say the least).
iHandy Carpenter This is nothing less than a packed tool box on your phone. It consists of 5 handy carpenters tools. Heres the line-up: bubble lever bar, plumb bob, protractor, surface level, and ruler. The tools may be used in landscape mode, and better still, when the plumb bob, level bar and surface level are calibrated, they function together as a clinometer, which makes reading angles a snap.
ConsumerReports.org The trusted folks that perform consumer product testing arent arent limited to off and online print anymore. They provide free mobile news and video for info related to products for your home, and and show you how to stretch your dollars. Its an Angies List for products, not building contractors.
Builder Dan’s Toolbox A handy building code reference for contractors as well as DIY types. Unfortunately, its limited to Canadian standards, and expensive at a $6.99 download. But for non-critical tasks, it will certainly provide a starting point.
Flashlight This is a free iPhone app (Yea!) that acts as a small flashlight for those dark corners. Its dandy for finding the keyhole on your car door at night as well.
Warranty Not many of us are organized enough to find the warranty details for all the power tools, gadgets, and gizmos that wed accumulate. For $4.99, this app will do it for you. Say goodbye to boxes stuffed with paper. Let your fingers do the walking.
Homelogic Mobile Control This app was engineered by HomeLogic and controls your house with the touch of a button on your iPhone. Ray Bradbury prognosticated correctly once again! Set up this free app to adjust electronic components and other WIFI-enabled units directly from your iPhone or the Internet.
Home Improvement Calculator This phone-based calculator is designed to estimate precisely how much certain material needed to complete your home improvement projects. Tackle things like painting jobs, hanging wall paper, installing ceramic or natural stone tile, picket fences, ordering concrete, brick pavers, laminate flooring, and building decks. Simply key in your measurements for your projects size and the calculator will go to work.
EZ Loan Calc Calculate the capital project requires and get an estimate of how much the loan would cost you. Too bad the employees over at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac don't use this one.
Heat Another free application, this one is a temperature conversion tool handling Fahrenheit, Celsius, as degrees Kelvin and, Rankine.
Home Improvement Store Finder This app is a low, low $0.99 and will help you locate and get driving directions to a local home improvement store. It comes in handy when youre on the road and need a fast phone number or address.
Trash Day This will remind you of little things like when the building inspector is arriving or when the dumpster pull is scheduled. Oh, and like the name infers, it will remind you to haul the cans to the curb.
Drywall Calculator This one calculates the square footage of any room so youll know how many sheets of drywall youll need for your project. Dont forget to add in 5% - 10% to allow for scrap.
Palettes Lite This is a free iPhone app to used to design color palettes. A great visualization tool, it allows you to develop a color scheme for the entire home, inside and out. You can elect to upgrade to the Palettes version, which includes more advanced techniques and choices and will only set you back $9.99.
Goal Tender This organizational tool costs $2.99 and helps you keep your DIY goals and projects on track. It does this by allowing you to note and review your goals and keep track of your success rates.
Computer Repairs Computer problems can happen to us all at one time or another, which is an issue when we keep all things that are home improvement are stored on the hard drive. When Computer Programming for Dummies wont help, launch this $0.99 cent app to find a professional in you area to help.
Handyman Sidekick This is yet another intuitive calculator that helps with gardening, hanging wallpaper, painting and installing hardwood floors. It will convert and save measurement units for easy reference. Weighing in at $1.99, this tool eliminates the necessity of a handyman on minor household jobs and saves money by calculating the amount of materials for your project.
Home Sizer A tool calculates the square footage in any room or your entire house. It may also be used when engineering a new home. An advanced feature is a file manager which allows saving your data or your blueprints plans. It also includes a mortgage estimator for the monthly payments for your dream home.
ConcreteCalc Similar in function to the Dry Wall Calculator above, this Concrete Calculator application will calculate how many cubic yards of concrete your project calls for.
Distance Calculator Easily convert distances with this app. It weighs in at $2.00 and means no more memorizing and calculating for you.
Convert Aid and Converter Two $0.99 apps that will calculate units of measurement for you without the crutch of your old high school algebra book.