It’s time to do some spring cleaning.
Here at [company name], we’ve been doing our own spring cleaning—and we’ve decided to share the results with you! We’ve rounded up a list of free web design tools that will help you keep your website looking fresh and new, no matter what season it is.
If you’re looking for ways to make your site stand out from the crowd, these tools will help you get there. They’ll also give you a chance to experiment with colors, fonts, and other elements of design that can make or break your website’s success.
Free Web Design Tools Exterior
Sometimes, the hardest part about remodeling is imagining what your house will look like when everything’s done. It’s not easy paying thousands of dollars for something you can’t actually see.
Thankfully, technology has given us the ability to create a virtual remodeling experience that shows what your home could look like with trendy new doors, windows, siding, and more.
Today, with a camera, a computer, and a few minutes’ time, you can design a completely new look for your home. Here’s how to do just that with our free home design tool, the Window World Visualizer.
Where to go …
The Window World Design Center
Finding our home remodeling software is easy. From WindowWorld.com, go to the Inspiration page and scroll down until you see a big blue button reading “Launch Our Visualizer.” This will get you started. Alternatively, you can find a link to the Design Center in the footer of our site. And if you’re ready to start creating things now, you can click here to get started.
*Note: You’ll need to be on a desktop computer to use the Visualizer.
Getting started
The Window World Visualizer
Once you’re on the Visualizer’s homepage, you’ll have four options. Make a choice based on the type of design you want to create:
“Use our photos” is for quick designs using pre-selected home images. This is the best choice for getting an idea of what certain product styles, configurations, options, and colors will look like. *Tip: If you’re new to windows, this is a great place to learn about all the different styles.
Click “Upload your photos” if you want to create a design using an actual picture of your home. This requires a bit of masking work but will show you how new products might look on your house.
“Open saved project” is for continuing a design that you saved earlier. If you want to tweak a few things on a previous design, this is where to go.
Chose “Design Services” if you’d like a team of professionals to prepare (or mask) a photo of your home for you. The charge is $15, and you’ll receive the finished photo in two business days.
TWO WAYS TO DESIGN …
1) Use our photos
Sample home remodeling project photos
Pick an image that best represents your home or the remodel that you’re after. Once you have it, you’re ready to select new products, play with different colors, and see your ideas in action. Skip to the step below called “Designing your new products.”
2) Upload your photos
Upload screen for using your own photos on Window World’s Visualizer
If you’d prefer to upload an image of your house, take a photo following the guidelines below:
Make sure your image is in landscape orientation (wide, not tall), and that it’s at least 1600 pixels wide.
PDFs are not accepted (so most blueprints are out of the question), but JPG, JPEG, and PNG formats work great.
Make sure your image isn’t bigger than 16 MB.
Try to get the clearest view of your home without any obstructions (lawnmowers, swing sets, kids’ toys, etc.)
Once your image is uploaded, you’re ready to set the scale by telling the system how large things are in your picture. To do this, click on the corner of a wall, door, or window to create a measuring line and connect it at the bottom.
*Hint: Most doors measure 6’ 8”, so this is a great place to set your scale without getting out the tape measure.
Setting the scale on a Visualizer project
With your scale set, you’re ready to “mask out” all the products you’d like to replace. First, choose a “masking area” on the left. The choices are “Window,” “Siding,” “Entry Door,” “Roofing,” and “Garage Door.” You can also mask foreground elements like trees and shrubs to make your design cleaner, but it’s unnecessary.
Masking a home remodel design in Window World’s Visualizer
After selecting a product, trace around the corresponding area in your image by clicking at each of its corners, creating a perimeter in the process. You’ll do this once for all the products you’d like to replace. Once you’ve masked everything, you’re ready to start designing!
Designing your new products
Before you replace old products with new ones, you need to create them first. This is where you let your design dreams run wild! Try out new grid patterns, play around with hardware, and pick just the right color for your house. The possibilities are inspiring, and creating new products is as easy as ordering takeout.
First, click on the masked areas in the main image (outlined in blue or green), or chose a product from the list on the left.
Choosing a product to design in the Window World Visualizer
Next, chose the style of product you like.
Selecting a style of vinyl siding in the Window World Visualizer
Once you’ve chosen a style, you’ll be given additional design options depending on the product. This is where you’ll decide on a color, configuration, glass, trim, and more.
Designing a front door, adding hardware, and color
Now you’re ready to save the design by clicking the floppy disk icon in the top right-hand corner. You can also take snapshots of the image, share it, print it, or download it to your computer. If you’d like to come back later to make more changes, create an account using the drop-down menu at the top. This will ensure that your design is ready to go when you come back.
Menu from Window World Visualizer
*Bonus tip: Click on the star icon in the menu bar to toggle between a Before & After of your design. This is a great way to see the transformation you’ve created and to learn what things you might want to live without.
The finished product!
Design report from home remodel design on Window World Visualzer
When you’re done, you can easily download a design report by clicking on the “print” icon. This will give you a color printout of your design along with specific product information for everything you created. Take this report to your local Window World store or call for an in-home appointment. We’ll be happy to discuss your design and create a quote including all your new products.
If you’ve already used our exterior design software and are looking for more inspiration, visit the blog and check out our gallery. When you’re ready to speak with someone about your next home remodel, we’ll be here. Call 1-800 NEXTWINDOW or request a quote online to get started.
online exterior design services
Adding curb appeal to a home is more than just getting a few potted plants for the doorway and a cute welcome mat—like, a lot more. After buying my house last year, I spent hours on Pinterest and Instagram looking for exterior and landscape inspiration, and meeting with every local contractor about painting the house, planting bushes in the garden bed, updating the front walkway, and more.
The process usually goes like this: I list my projects on sites like TaskRabbit, Nextdoor, Angi, or HomeAdvisor; wait until a contractor gets in touch; set up a site visit; walk the contractors through the property; and then wait for a quote. All the while I’m falling deeper into the inspiration black hole. All of this can take weeks depending on the project, but as with many things during the pandemic, for us, it took months—all before execution even started.
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While there’s nothing like an in-person visit with a local expert, if I could do it all over again, I’d choose an online exterior design service instead. It’s safer during a pandemic, more time- and cost-efficient (some local contractors charge a fee for a site visit), and less awkward—there’s no standing around asking how they’re faring in the pandemic as you show them the yard.
Most of the services I researched offer reasonably-priced packages that include virtual design consultations (so the creative onus is not all on you), digital renderings, shopping lists, and revisions if needed; some even connect you to local and licensed contractors to execute on the idea. And to a homeowner’s ear, that sounds like a dream come true.
Now, every homeowner will also tell you that home renos and updates are never truly finished (lucky me?), so here are the four best online exterior services I’ll be using for my next batch of upgrades. Don’t worry though, I’ll find a way to keep my plants and doormat around.
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Tilly
PHOTO BY TILLY
Starting At $375
When you talk about curb appeal, landscaping is a huge part of it. It can hide your home’s foundation, soften harsh edges, hide unsightly generators or septic tank covers, and more. It’s the first thing people see when they stop by your home, so you’ll want to make a good impression.
Tilly, a woman-owned and -run business, can help reimagine your whole house with its eco-conscious landscape designs based on your space, needs, and location. You’ll get matched with a landscape designer who will set up a video consult for a virtual tour of your space.
While it won’t do any of the physical work for you (none of these services will), it does give you a comprehensive layout with options for common and native plants, bushes, and more that you can then pass onto a landscaper to execute. Also included is a round of revisions within 45 days of receiving your new design—the longest lead time we’ve seen offered. Choose between three plans for your front yard, back yard, or both spaces, and add-on features like a side yard, lighting, or even 3D renderings of your space (a 2D rendering is included with your package).
Tilly does hardscapes as well, so expect to see new features like garden beds or walkways if they make sense with your plan, but not specific materials or products.
Shop Tilly, $375+
Yardzen
PHOTO BY YARDZEN
Starting At $649
Yardzen is similar to Tilly in that it creates a landscaping rendering based on your preferences and location, which you then take to a contractor to execute. But it goes one step further by actually connecting you to a Yardzen-approved contractor so you’re guaranteed to work with someone who understands the plans and your budget. The prices start off higher than Tilly, but finding a good contractor is a second full-time job, so if there’s an easier way about it, I’m game.
It’s also expanded to doing exteriors this past July—making it a perfect option for anyone who wants to knock out both things at the same time (read: me) and ensure a cohesive design. You’ll be able to reimagine your entire house from the roof and siding all the way down to house numbers and even the mailbox—much more comprehensive than any online service I’ve seen.
However, be prepared to invest—if I were to do the Outdoor Transformation Design for my house, it’d cost $3,395. And again, that’s the price before any physical work gets done.
Shop Yardzen, $649
Brick & Batten
PHOTO BY BRICK & BATTEN
Starting At $950
Brick & Batten’s before-and-after photos are always really creative and dramatic, so if you need more than just a fresh coat of paint and trim, this might be right for you.
After you send a photo of your home (either the front or back, whichever you need help with), you fill out a short survey about what you want and need (there’s no video or phone consult), and then wait a few weeks for a design to get dropped into your email. You can get a free revision with 48 hours of delivery, so if you’re not a fan of the paint colors or lighting, you have the opportunity to change it; if you have more changes though, there’ll be a fee depending on the request.
Brick & Batten doesn’t do landscaping or hardscaping, but they will clean up what’s existing so you can imagine your space better. You can easily pair this with a service like Tilly for landscaping ideas.
Shop on Brick & Batten, $950
Hover
PHOTO BY HOVER
Free
This free app is fun for homeowners who like to DIY. The app creates a 3D model of your house based on photos you upload, then you can go in and change features like siding, roofing, and windows from reputable brands like James Hardie and Alside. Once you’re happy with the new look, you can share it via app or download and share with contractors and designers to execute your vision.
Hover requires more work on the homeowner’s end but if you’re someone who has a specific vision in mind or likes to experiment with ideas yourself, this can be a good option. If nothing comes of it, at least it’ll help you pass the time.
Shop on Hover, Free
What projects are you planning for your house? Drop some inspo below!
This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.
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