If you’re planning on renovating a home to sell it again, you’ll know that this is no small task. Fixer-uppers are a notorious gamble a lot of the time, and many people looking to flip a property after renovating it find themselves having to invest large amounts of money into having professionals come to do most of the work for them, eating away at the profits they were so looking forward to making.

Getting an interior designer to help choose the right colour scheme isn’t always a feasible option, as this comes extra costs that you might not have worked into the renovation budget. Similarly, finding a professional just because you’re not 100% sure how to tackle that DIY (“Y” is the important letter here!) project you’ve been meaning to start means you’ll forever be angry at yourself for not doing your research and giving it a go.

Thank goodness for technology, though! While there are certainly tasks that are better left to the professionals, there are ways to complete smaller tasks without the assistance of a professional handyman. The internet has provided us with an almost endless archive of information and tips about DIY and renovation projects, and it’s all at your fingertips if you just know where to look.

You’ll love these five apps – they are easy to use, innovative, and will help you to renovate by yourself at a fraction of the cost.

1. BrightNest

Prevention is better than cure, and BrightNest helps you to do the necessary maintenance around your home before you encounter a problem. Upload any appliances that need regular maintenance to the app, and BrightNest will remind you to do the maintenance before the lack thereof makes repairs or replacements a necessity.

Cleaning tricks and hacks make housekeeping easy and fun, and the innovative interface features everything from cooking techniques to the unusual and unexpected uses of everything from soap to cinnamon. The app also features a myriad of articles with organising tips, lifehacks and DIY projects.

“BrightNest’s mission is to make homeowners happy”, states a big banner on their website, and it’s easy to see why. The app can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android.

2. TapPainter

If only people in the 70s had access to TapPainter, we might have avoided what are today considered to be numerous interior design faux pas. TapPainter helps you to choose the perfect paint colour for any room by uploading a picture of the room in question, and choosing from complete colour decks by famous paint brands.

Gone are the days of buying paint according to the swatch, only to have it look completely different once you’ve painted the wall. TapPainter’s specially-designed algorithms take the wall edges, lighting distribution and shadows into account, giving you a realistic, true-to-life and colour-accurate idea of what a particular wall will look like once it has been painted a particular colour. Digital Trends says it is the only app currently available with these capabilities, and a test image shows how TapPainter’s prediction perfectly matches a wall after it is painted.

TapPainter’s prediction of what the wall will look like after being painted.

What the wall actually looks like after being painted. The prediction is uncannily accurate.

Paint is expensive, make sure you make the right choice. TapPainter is available on iOS.

3. Snapguide

SnapGuide calls itself “a place for makers”, and these words certainly ring true. Available on iOS, this app has the whole shebang. Get step-by-step instructions on a host of tasks, or add your own how-to guide on the easy-to-use platform.

This app was made for experts and zealous hobbyists, and the ability to read feedback on each guide makes it easy to verify the steps before attempting them yourself.

Automotive, arts and crafts and gardening are made easy with crowd-sourced, tried and tested information and how-to guides that actually work. Repair tips and hacks are right at your fingertips, and they’re all free.

4. wikiHow

Think of this as Wikipedia for finding out how to do things. wikiHow’s website states that it is on a mission to try and help everyone on the planet do everything, and their ambitions aren’t far off. If repairs are a part of your renovations, you won’t have to look far for step-by-step DIY tips and instructions to help you make light work of almost any task or project.

Tips and instructions are sorted into 20 different categories, and the only drawback of this app is that you might find yourself wandering off to learn something new, instead of attending to the task at hand. Get it for free on Android and iOS.

5. Houzz

Looking for design ideas to suit your taste? You’re bound to find it among Houzz’s collection of over 16 million photos.

Houzz is probably the most comprehensive interior design guide and resource out there, and the app has a huge archive of articles, photographs and discussions that will provide inspiration and help you with the DIY projects associated with you renovations.

Filter according to your taste and needs, and let Houzz make recommendations accordingly. Find design inspiration, shop for furniture and accessories or look for a professional to assist you with your next big renovation project. Houzz has it all, and the app is available for iOS and Android.

Conclusion

The internet is a treasure trove of information, and apps like the ones mentioned in this article have curated them in a way that is easy to understand and use in the real world. Whether you’re looking to renovate, undertake elaborate DIY projects, repaint your house or make sure your maintenance is up to date, there is an app to help you do it successfully.