Renovation & DIY Project Management

The renovation / DIY project lifecycle: inspiration → measurement → plan → contractor / DIY → budget → punch list. Most homeowners use 4-5 different tools across the lifecycle. For the floor-plan / 3D side see 3D Floor Plans & Room Design; for ongoing maintenance see Home Maintenance Scheduling; for whole-home inventory see Home Inventory & Insurance; for contractor finding see Cleaning Service Apps; for self-hosted task / Kanban see Self-Hosted Personal Apps.

Inspiration / browsing

• ★ Houzz — free + Houzz Pro paid; the inspiration default (millions of project photos, browse by room / style); contractor directory; product shopping. Pro tier ($85+/mo) is for contractors / designers, not homeowners. Free is genuinely useful.
• Pinterest — free; the broader inspiration default; every contractor will ask for your Pinterest board.
• Apartment Therapy, Dwell, Apartmenttherapy — content sites; bookmark-friendly.
• Modsy — sunset 2022; flag if you see it linked.

Project + budget tracking

• ★ HomeZada Improvements — paid + free; the maintenance + inventory app's renovation module; tracks budget, receipts, photos, contractor info per project. Best when you already use HomeZada for inventory + maintenance.
• HomeBuddy — paid + free; lighter project tracker.
• Buildtrend (BuilderTREND) — paid; for contractors, but homeowners increasingly invited as guests in their builder's project. View-only on the homeowner side.
• Procore — paid; large-builder; not relevant for residential homeowners.
• CoConstruct — paid; merged into BuilderTREND.

DIY / homeowner-side project mgmt (lightweight)

• ★ Notion / Obsidian / TriliumNext — free + paid; the most-used "I want my own project page". One page per project with budget table, links, contractor contacts, before/after photos. See Self-Hosted Notes & Wiki.
• ★ Trello / Asana / family Kanban — drag cards from "Quoted" → "In progress" → "Done." Free for personal use.
• Vikunja — OSS task / Kanban; CalDAV; Gantt-lite. See Self-Hosted Personal Apps.
• Plane — OSS Linear / Jira-shape; overkill for one bathroom but great for a multi-room remodel.
• Spreadsheet — Google Sheets / Apple Numbers; budget tracking with formulas; the underrated default.

Measurement / on-site capture

• ★ RoomPlan (Apple) — free, iOS / iPadOS LiDAR; scan a room with your iPhone Pro / iPad Pro and get a USDZ floor plan + walls / windows / doors. The 2024-26 measurement-tape replacement.
• Magicplan — paid + free; LiDAR + AR floor-plan capture; estimating + symbol library; cross-platform.
• Polycam — paid + free; LiDAR + photogrammetry; great for 3D scans of rooms / objects. See Photogrammetry Mobile Apps.
• Tape measure + graph paper — free; underrated.

Contractor / quote management

• Houzz Pro Directory — find local contractors; reviews.
• Angi (formerly Angie's List) — paid + free; contractor matching.
• Thumbtack — paid + free; quotes from local pros.
• TaskRabbit — paid + free; smaller jobs (hang a TV, assemble IKEA).
• Yelp — free; reviews; mixed quality.
• Local subreddits / Nextdoor — free; the "ask the neighborhood" answer.

Permit / inspection

• Local building department websites — free; permits and inspections. Most US municipalities have an online portal.
• eBuild / Accela — pro/contractor portals; depend on jurisdiction.

License / pricing

• Houzz: free + paid Pro tier (for contractors).
• HomeZada Improvements: paid + free; same as the broader HomeZada plan.
• Magicplan: paid + free.
• BuilderTREND, Procore: paid pro (contractor side).
• Notion, Obsidian, Trello, Asana: free + paid.
• Vikunja, Plane, TriliumNext: OSS, free, self-host.
• RoomPlan: free Apple framework.

Pick this if…

• Default inspiration + contractor browse: Houzz (free).
• All-in-one maintenance + improvement + inventory: HomeZada.
• DIY / single-project homeowner, free: a Notion page or Trello board + Sheets budget.
• Tech-comfortable, OSS: Vikunja or Plane + Obsidian / TriliumNext.
• iPhone Pro / iPad Pro user, scanning a room: RoomPlan or Polycam.
• Cross-platform measurement: Magicplan.
• Already on a contractor's BuilderTREND: use their portal as guest.
• Find a contractor: Angi, Thumbtack, Houzz directory, or a local subreddit.