Planet of the Apps

> Home decorating and refurbishing planning made easy

app and begin the process.

Think of it as taking a panoramic photo. With the free version, users can carry their room dimensions with them on-the-go, making shopping for the home a breeze. Paying a small fee will allow you to export floor plans in different file formats and even customise the layout of your home for better visualisation.

IHANDY CARPENTER (IOS & ANDROID – FROM RM7.57)

So you did not have to wrestle with a measuring tape while taking down the dimensions of your rooms, but what about when you are out shopping for furniture and you need to measure an item ... but the measuring tape is back home? iHandy Carpenter saves the day this time by placing (in your hand) five essential tools - a plumb bob, a surface level, a bubble level bar, a steel protractor and a steel ruler.

A steel ruler, specifically, would be of great help with measuring the dimensions of furniture to know if it will fit in the room or not. The app provides the user with two ways of measuring using the “steel ruler”: use “screen length snap” – where the user swipes the screen left or right to move the ruler along; or “free moving” – where the screen detects the phone’s left or right movement and moves the ruler accordingly.

The app also works well in tricky situations like hanging up wall pieces or drilling in floating shelves perfectly using the surface level feature. Although some calibration needs to be done before using the app, the instructions provided makes calibration effortless.

HOUZZ INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS (IOS & ANDROID – FREE)

Houzz has a database of over 11 million high-resolution photos of home interiors and exteriors. It is a cross between Wikipedia and Pinterest, but for home design.

Houzz is helpful in the planning and visualising stage of home decoration. The planning process for each room is made easier with the ability to search for ideas by room type i.e. kitchen, dining room, powder room, baby room, living room, deck, etc. These photos are actual designs used by professional interior designers and the common Houzz-user.

Photos can also be saved to make reference easily accessible when needed.

Unfortunately, users residing in Malaysia will not be able to make use of Houzz’s shopping features as most of the brands are not available locally. Then again, with the internet, hasn’t the world become a much smaller place and a mere click or two away?

NIPPON PAINT COLOUR CREATIONS OR DULUX VISUALIZER MY (IOS & ANDROID – FREE)

Choosing the perfect colour for the next paint job can be tough. Trips to the hardware store to get paint chips and references back home to visualise it in “the” room For people who love, live and breathe natural lighting, Sun Seeker is a good app to acquire. Sun Seeker uses the device’s GPS, magnetometer, accelerometers and gyroscope to find the correct solar position and path for your current location and device orientation.

The app is especially handy when house-hunting because nobody wants to have sunlight glaring in their bedroom window each morning, yet sufficient natural light is needed, especially to dry out the laundry. Homeowners with green fingers will also want to use this app to find the best spots in and around the home for the plants.

There are many more amazing apps that can help in designing and decorating a home. Unfortunately, some good ones are not available in Malaysia while others need a little tweaking to improve efficacy and function. However, at the rate technology is advancing, better apps are definitely out in the horizon to make the whole nine yards of home decoration and refurbishment almost like “a walk in the park”. Email your feedback and queries to: propertyqs@ thesundaily.com