Home Renovation Contractors using Social Media?

We live in a time where research is as simple as “Googling.”  Quite literally, if you have a questions or you are researching a big project or investment, Google.com is your friend!  Let’s say you are in the process of a home renovation, where would you start?  I recommend you use the tools that are available and online. Why not? Do you remember the days when research started with the listings in the Yellow pages, perhaps many phone calls and definitively checking with your friends for recommendations or referrals?

Let’s look at this from the perspective of the contractor you will be hiring. According to Mobile Marketer, 68% of homeowners believe part of their house is in need of renovation. If you were a contractor, wouldn’t you want a piece of that business? If you are one of those homeowners, what is your reaction when you don’t find a contractor on Angie’s list, in the Houzz “Pro” listings or even in Google Maps? I would be concerned. If you are researching who to use for your major project or renovation, those things need to be on your checklist. As a home owner doing a renovation or a property owner who is looking to resell your upgraded location, what factors do you take into account?

Below is a recommended starter “checklist” of things to consider when researching contractors:

• Define the scope of your project and thus the specialty contractor you need (example: Kitchen renovation)
• Check with friends who have recently done a similar project
• Google the names of contractors you received
• Check Houzz “Pro” listings – find success stories
• Consult Home Advisors – does the contractor have a listing?
• Need more information – consider joining Angie’s list (there may be fees)
• In any case where Ratings & Reviews are offered, start with contractors who have the most and the highest ratings!

If I may, allow me to recommend perhaps the easiest mobile application to use – and it is free! Houzz.com, which is available online as well as a mobile app, is the quickest and easiest way to narrow down your options. With over 800K specialists in their network, they have developed some tools to help you hone in on a short list. Let’s say you are in the market for a Kitchen Renovation Contractor. Simply log into the Houzz application and go to the Pros listings. Next select your city and state as well as the distance you want to search (example: within 25 miles).Then, I recommend you select the “most reviews” option within “sort by.” The contractors meeting your criteria will naturally float to the top of your search results.  You are ready to start your research!!

Houzz.com Pro Listing – narrow by reviews

In summary, with all of the available online tools – most of which are free, why spend the time otherwise?  To me, any contractor who is not in the online game is at the risk of not being noticed. What would cause you to spend the additional time and effort to find them otherwise?

Quick update on the lake house remodel – my husband is hard at work building out the “bunk house.” My plan is to feature the progress pictures next time!  Meanwhile, many of you have asked to see pictures of the house itself. Therefore, I am including the slideshow of the house (interior and exterior) when we bought it. Enjoy the tour and let me know your thoughts and ideas about our “Fixer Upper” in the comments below! Click to see – Lake House Photos

Home Renovations – To be DIY or not to be DIY? That is the question.

The sun came back to Central Texas this weekend, which afforded me the luxury of an afternoon walk. The feature picture that accompanies today’s post is from my view of the Pedernales River during my first walk through the neighborhood. During a home renovation it is important to take a break occasionally and enjoy the space around you – especially at the lake! Since I hadn’t mentioned this previously, I love the outdoors so my “jobs” related to the home renovation tend to be in the yard. I am finding the more I do, the more there is to do! Does that ring true to you?

If you are reading this there is a good chance you are a self proclaimed “do it yourself-er”! The question today is – should you DIY? More specifically, when you embark on home renovations what makes more sense? Do it yourself or hire the experts? There are several factors to consider, not the least of which is the legality of your project type. According to Bob Villa, one of the home improvement movement’s most popular gurus, there are certain things you should leave up to the experts – Home improvements that are illegal to DIY. Once you have determined that an expert is not required by state or local ordinances, then you must evaluate 3 things – your budget and timeline, your equipment and your skills.  I encourage you to “get real” with yourself and answer these questions in earnest BEFORE you begin.

1. Budget & timeline – Based on both, DIY on your time or is it more economical to hire it to be done quickly?
2. Equipment – for many projects, home improvement  or otherwise, it is so important that you have the right tools and equipment for the job. Can you rent or borrow them? If you purchase, is the expenditure justified by the money you save doing it yourself?
3. Skills – Do you know what you are doing OR can you find a good Youtube video to follow? An additional question here is two parts: a) if you make mistakes, how expensive are your material replacement costs to correct or redo the project, and b) will you end up hiring someone to fix it?

eMarketer Home Improvement Survey

According to this survey by eMarketer there are various resources which home owners use for “inspiration.”  Not surprisingly, top popularity goes to DIY & design TV shows.  Also worth noting, however, the use of social media has doubled from 7% to 14% of homeowners surveyed. Planese, one of many mobile apps available for home renovation projects, also surveyed homeowners on this topic and “…95%—said they intended to go online via PC to find design ideas; 65% said they would use a smartphone for some of their research. However, when researching products or services, over two-thirds of respondents would use either device.” My suggestion is that searching for your project name and DIY either through Google or directly in the Youtube channel will give you some good results to help you “size up” your project and answer the 3 questions related to embarking on a DIY or hiring an expert?

Once you have a grasp on what your project entails if you are not 100% certain how to answer the 3 questions, call a contractor and request a quote. There are many resources that can help you find the appropriate contractor, and I recommend you start with Houzz.com – “Houzz, a company that now sees 35 million unique visitors per month, and over 800,000 home professionals like architects, decorators, and contractors engaging on the service,” is certainly growing in popularity and continues to enhance their home professional network regularly. Before selecting a contractor, I also encourage you to read the ratings & reviews and possibly get an actual local referral if the contractor has a client with whom you can speak. Lastly, based on the size of the project you may want to get more than one quote before proceeding with your decisions.

Have you previously done a home improvement or renovation project? If so, I would love to hear about it.  In the spirit of DIY’ers everywhere – whether it was a success or not what did you learn? Share your stories in the comments below.

This week’s update – Since the weather cooperated, this weekend I was able to finish up my “power washing”  in the backyard. My first picture is the final “after shot,” having completed the brick patio and the rock stairs.

Power washing ~ After

What follows is the “before” picture of the brick patio and stairs.

Power washing ~ Before

Lastly, a “before” in the foreground of this picture and “after” in the background.  My time (approximately 5 hours total) and equipment ($100) is all it took.  If you have a renovation that includes areas outside that need cleaning – The CleanForce 1800 can be found at your local store (example – Home Depot). Hook it up to your outside garden hose and you are ready to clean – brick, rock, sidewalks & driveways, as well as the outside of the house.

Power Washing ~ Before & After