Top 11 Apps in 2016 for Remodelers and General Contractors
Construction is big business in North America, so it’s no surprise that a plethora of Commercial Construction apps exist, with companies investing lots of money pushing them to the surface of Google and Twitter. What surprises me is the lack of Remodeler Apps and services out there for residential contractors. So I did some digging around to find some top apps for remodelers.
With about 400,000 residential contractors in North America, and new residential construction spending predicted to grow past US$410 billion in 2016, you would think that tech developers would be all over it. In my research I found these top 11 apps to check out. I’ll start from the more basic ones and then work up to a couple that I think are really game-changing for contractors and construction companies.
11. Fraction Calculator Plus
There are many calculator apps, but few try to make all the clicking and “fractiony stuff” efficient and easy. See how they have three different key pads? It’s quite slick and it can be used for more than just construction and workshop projects.
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10. Sun Seeker App
Are you remodeling a house, perhaps installing new windows, and wonder where the sun will be mid-summer? Look no further because here is the app for you! I’m sure there are a lot of designers and photographers out there who appreciate this one as well.
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9. EWP 2014 (Electrical Wiring Pro)
EWP has packaged over 40 Electrician Calculator and Tool apps into one. For a jack-of-all-trades remodeler, or of course any electrician or DIY’er, this app proves extremely handy. Calculations are per National Electrical Code 2014, 2011, 2008 or 2005. Residential/load calculations include single and multi family and range calculations. It can do a lot more, although it appears an older version suffered from a lot of bugs.
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8. iHandy Carpenter
Five professional must-have tools in one handy app: plumb bob level, surface level, bubble level, ruler and protractor. They say it’s the lightest, prettiest and handiest, and they are right. The graphics look great on this one. And, why download five apps when you can have a multi-tool such as iHandy Carpenter?
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7. Joist
This estimator app helps you save time and win more jobs – add in some of your commonly used materials and labor rates and you can quickly build estimates and invoices. Complete your work at the jobsite or in your truck, no more backlog of paperwork haunting you at the office!
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6. Home Design 3D
Here’s a fun one, Architecture software for planning your remodeling project. Expensive, more complicated options exist, but this is a great app for communicating floor plan and room layout. Easy sharing, easy to learn.
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5. BuilderTREND
Reduce your overhead, build faster and keep your customers happy. Sounds like a plan! This cloud based home builder and remodeler software helps keep everyone organized and keeps your projects on track. They assist in the areas of Pre-Sale Process, and Project and Customer Management. It’s really beefy on the project management side…
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4. Market Sharp
Do you feel like your management processes are a bit dated? Time to leave the land of the dinosaurs perhaps? Market Sharp, like BuilderTREND, gives you the tools to get organized, grow sales, and work less. Market Sharp includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and operations management functionality for remodelers, contractors or home service professionals. Take your business to the next level, from lead generation to final invoice, with this web-based software.
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3. HOVER (not to be confused with the drone app)
The almighty cell phone camera strikes again. What would we do without it? Design and measure any home in minutes- Take a few photos from the HOVER App and via the cloud, HOVER’s patented algorithms create an interactive 3D model within 24 hours. 24 hours people!
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2. Renoworks Pro
This software falls into the “disruptive tech” category and every single general contractor and remodeler should sign up for a quick demo immediately. If you can color between the lines, you can figure out how to use this app. The basic gist is that you upload a photo of the home, trace around different parts of the home with easy to use tools (roofing, siding, windows, etc), and insert real building products on the photo from over 250 manufacturer catalogues. Homeowners get to see the before and after photos before committing to the job. It makes decision making far easier than sifting through swatches and trying to visualize it yourself.
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1. zlien
Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter how many customers your have, if they aren’t able to pay up when invoice time comes around, well… zlien is leading the pack across various industries for protection again every business-owners’ personal nemesis, non-payment. zlien is lien rights made easy. Subcontractors, material and equipment suppliers, GC’s and more use the service. Fuel your AR by managing notices and lien waivers across your entire project portfolio. You have enough to manage, let zlien save you time, stress, and money. This one’s a no-brainer for sure!
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There you have my Top 11 apps for contractors on the market! These apps each address a certain pain point for general contractors and remodelers. I hope you check them out. Get tooled up, get organized, get designing and get paid. Add your favorite apps and services to the comments section below!
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