Apps,Books, Stores, Websites, and Other Cool (and not so great) Resources & Stuff

Apps, Books, Stores, Websites and Other Cool Stuff & Resources




Apps

Sadly, there is a real lack of apps for renovating.  However, I did use some intended for renovations & decorating.  I've also listed other apps here that are just damn good, but weren't necessarily designed for use during renovating.  


  • "AirMeasure" ~ This app is awful.  Not accurate and a pain to use.  Don't bother. 
  • "Active Sonar" ~ This app is worse than AirMeasure.  Doesn't help you measure anything.  Complete waste of time.  
  • "BeamBuddy" ~ This is fun and you can learn how much load a board can take on a fulcrum.  I will never really use it, but it is fun to play with.  Probably not worth your time unless you have some weird Hardware Store fetish.  
  • Benjamin Moore "ColorCapture" and "Connection" ~ Both are pretty decent.  I am not sure why you would need both apps, but they were free, so why not?  Great references.  
  • "iBookshelf" is the best book / video collection app I've tried.  I use it to keep track of all my books.  You can scan the book in via the barcode.  Cover photo pops up along with author, title, publisher, etc.  You can even enter the cost of the book as well as mark it as "Lent Out" or "Wanted"   Absolutely Fabulous!!!  I've entered 492 books so far, will finish up the rest during packing, and I know who owes me books!  
  • "Compass" ~ this is a pre-loaded iPhone app, but definitely great to have when you are figuring out which windows need light blocking shades in the mornings.  
  • "Ebay" ~ No need to explain.  I have great fun looking for lots of Auntie Mame-ish stuff.  The iPhone and the iPad app are both very different setups and worthwhile.  
  • "Groupon" ~ Very worthwhile and fun.  I got a great gift certificate for a photo canvas for 1/10th of the price.  I can see a big portrait of Owen on my walls.  
  • "HandyTape" ~ This is another awful measuring app.  Why can no one come up with an app that actually works and is easy to use for measuring?
  • "Level" by Stanley Bostitch ~ surprisingly good.  Definitely worth it.  
  • "Mark On Call" ~ is a hodge-podge of stuff for decorating, renovating and building.  Has some good basic, ready to use Checklists, info and other stuff.  I'd recommend it if it is still free or cheap.  
  • "Nextag" ~ My PPM got me fabulous deals on appliances using this app.  Incredibly worthwhile! I saved over $ 800 on appliances! 
  • "Real Estate by the New York Times"  This app is incredibly disappointing.  Very buggy.  Info can be incredibly outdated.  
  • "Todo" ~ great App!  I used it to keep track of shopping lists, questions for my GC, etc.  I love the squiggly line feature to check when an item is finished.  I only use the app version, not the computer version.  



Books

My inner librarian always buys books for a new project.  This renovation was no exception.  I bought a bunch of books.  Some were good, two were great and a few were just awful.  Here's my list:


  • "Apartment Therapy presents Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Real Design Solutions by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan with Jill Slater and Janel Laban, Chronicle Books, 2008.  I loved this book.  Every home is listed with the square footage, rental vs owner, years lived in and neighborhood.  I got lots of ideas from this book.  Definitely a book to get for tiny projects and big renovations.  Super!  

  • "Domino, The Book of Decorating, A Room by Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy" by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello and Dara Coponigro, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2008.  This is a good resource with lots of little details and big ideas.  It was an expensive book ($32) but I think it was worth it.  

  • "Feng Shui, Life Coach" by Simon Brown, Octopus Books, 2009.  Okay, I know it is a shocker, but I figured, Why not try it? Couldn't hurt right?   So there was some cool stuff in here.  Keeping a path to walk around the room turns out to be good Feng Shui.  Who know?  I guess Feng Shui masters do, but anyway.  It's a good reference and kind of fun to read.  The last chapter, "Room Makeovers with Eight-Direction Energy" was particular useful.  I'd recommend it, but only if you are interested in Feng Shui.  

  • "KISS, Guide to Feng Shui" by Stephen Skinner, dk Publishing, 2001.  This is filled with info.  It would take me forever to read it (and a whole lot more interest and patience than I have now), but I will definitely look at it once I move and things have calmed down.  Then I can see all the things I have done wrong and are inhibiting my energies.  



Magazines:


  • "Array, Inside the New York Design Center" is basically an advertisement for stuff I find to be incredibly ugly and ridiculously expensive.  I only got the one issue for October/November/December/January 2010 - 2011.  Huge waste of $6.50  I wouldn't bother even looking at it again.  

  • "House Beautiful", monthly magazine.  I love this. Lots of stuff I will never be able to afford, but I loved the fancy schmancy homes and got some great ideas for kitchen and bathroom tile.  Definitely a good reference!   I subscribe and recommend others do as well.  

  • "Living Etc. The Homes Magazine for Modern Living" ~ This magazine is filled with great photos and cool ideas.  I used it quite a bit.  Lots of fancy stuff, but I got several ideas for things I could do at my teeny tiny abode.  Big Thumbs up! 




Stores (Online and Brick & Mortar)

  • FurnishGreenFacebook page a lot.  Very cool looking stuff.  Their website,   http://furnishgreen.com/ has great stuff and updates frequently.  
  • ShopNBC ~ I admit it.  I love some of their Home Stuff.   I'm not a big fan of their clothing, or jewelry, but they have some cool stuff in the   Shop NBC Home Section   Also, they can have some really nifty stuff in the Clearance Home Section
  • QVC ~ No Big Surprise Here.  I love da' Q!  Cheap stuff and good quality.  Order online (or via phone if you want), delivered to your home and you have 30 days to ship it on back if you don't like it.  Seriously, if you buy lotions and potions, makeup kind of stuff, QVC has some of the BEST deals on big quantities (if you want a 32 ounces of Philosophy's Purity Face Cleanser, you won't find it anywhere cheaper.  They also have some cool Home stuff sometimes.   QVC has a daily "Today's Special Value" which can be very good in terms of price and quality.  I love da Q !!! 

Websites

  • Unplggd is the great sister website to apartmenttherapy.com  I love the techie stuff here.  Check back often, you won't be disappointed.  http://www.unplggd.com/
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