Handy Fix-It Apps for Your Home
If you grew up with a handy parent, it’s likely you know your way around a tool box, tool belt and the tool department at the local home improvement store. But if you didn’t, we found a slew of handy apps and online guides to help you learn new skills, design and/or fix things around the house with minimal stress and effort. From gardening and automobile helps, to recipes, how-to guides for fixing smartphones, tablets and even dishwashers, these apps and websites can help you through peskiest and most daunting DIY projects!
Snap Guide (iOS) Free
SnapGuide is a visually attractive, crowd-sourced, how-to app, featuring lots of projects, repairs, recipes and hacks with detailed instructions and full-page photo guides. Users can check out a variety of topics from gardening, automotive, arts and crafts and other projects, as well as popular and most-commonly used fix-it guides. Users can comment on, like and share guides, or even create new guides of their own.
WikiHow (Android, iOS) Free
WikiHow offers thousands of how-to guides ranging from tech and life hacks, quick repairs, DIY projects and even some fun food recipes. Need to change the oil in your car? It’s an easy feat with WikiHow. Want to build a workbench for your garage? Done. Fix scratches in your furniture? Check. Decorate a shelf in your living room? WikiHow has it all, complete with illustrations and videos. Users can browse through and search categories, check out featured articles and bookmark particular how-tos for later offline reading.
Houzz (Android, iOS) Free
Called the “Wikipedia of Interior Design,” Houzz is a social network dedicated to architecture, interior design and home improvement. The official Houzz app serves as a huge storehouse of articles, conversations and photos that you can review for inspiration and help. Whether you’re looking for DIY project ideas, design inspiration or even interesting pieces of furniture to add to your decor, Houzz has millions of photos, resources and design ideas. And, if you’re looking for help from local professionals or want to locate talented artistic vendors near you – Houzz has that kind of info, too!
TapPainter (iOS) $2.99
A new paint job is an easy way to give your living, dining or bedroom a facelift, but deciding on the perfect color — that you will love for years to come — can be the toughest part of the task! TapPainter, an iOS app, takes the guesswork out of picking paint for your rooms by giving you a realistic preview. When you take a picture of your room and upload it through the app,TapPainter analyzes the photo and lighting to create accurate glimpses of how it will look painted a different color. You can choose from complete color portfolios from brands like Sherwin-Williams, Behr and more. Plus, it’s easy to compare original and previewed images with swipes, as well as share them through email or Facebook.
iHandy Level (iOS, Android) Free
Can’t find your level to hang mirrors or artwork? The iHandy Level is free for both Android and iOS and easy to use for even novice carpenters. Users rave about the app’s woodgrain and lighting effects.
For Kids: DIY App (iOS) Free
The DIY App is designed to introduce crafting and a do-it-yourself approach to kids, with fun, easy-to-learn projects and a community that’s moderated to ensure a fun, friendly and kid-safe experience. Kids can try out thousands of projects from the online library, ranging from stop-motion animation and claymation, to harvesting seeds and roots, and more.
Kids can also share the results of their projects, as well as comment on and encourage the works of others. In addition, if they complete enough challenges, kids can earn Skill Badges to display on their online profile.
Online Guides: iFixIt (Android)
Trying to repair an old smartphone or tablet? Need help fixing a dishwasher? Download the iFixIt app to your Android to look up repairs you can do yourself. The app will walk you through diagnosing problems for everything from car and electronic repairs to fixes for household appliances. With 49,000 guides, this site empowers people to fix things themselves, with an eye toward lessening the environmental impact of waste and trash.
Come Home to Castle Rock
The newly built homes in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley are a blank background for your design ideas, artwork, painting, photos and all the possessions you’re passionate about! Check out the natural neighborhood with walking trails and biking paths, and explore the many beautiful models from D.R. Horton, Richmond American Homes, and Kauffman Homes and find out why our community is among the top five fasted-growing in the state with new homes priced from the $300s.
