During the summer we had some water damage at home. Putting aside all the pains of dealing with the insurance company, getting estimates from different contractors and fixing the cause of the water damage, we discovered we could use the iPad to help us throughout the renovations stage.

On this post, I’ll be discussing some ideas on how the iPad helped us with the process of fixing up our house and the renovations involved.

Email exchanges and notes

Dealing with the insurance company and different contractors was not a straightforward process. We exchanged many emails and phone calls until we came to an agreement.
We used Notes, Mail or similar apps on the iPad to keep important information always at hand, reply to emails or simply review information received previously.

Estimates

Most of the estimates from different contractors were sent to us in PDF files. We opened those estimates using the iBooks app to review the information and perform comparisons between them.
Once we decided which contractor to use, we kept his estimate as a reference on iBooks while shopping for supplies.

Looking up places, working hours and getting directions

Many times we would jump in the car and start touring the city in search for a certain store. Sometimes we would not find the tile, faucet or vanity that we were looking for. Having an iPad with a data plan helped us a lot. We were able to look up stores, materials, working hours and directions, saving us time and increasing our productivity without having to go back home.

Shopping for materials and supplies

We worked out a flexible agreement with our contractor where he would get some construction materials and supplies and some we could get ourselves.
Shopping for renovations can be a lot of fun but it can be frustrating as well. There’s a million options out there. Did you know there’s more than 60 different models of toilets?
We had no clue!!

We asked for permission and took some pictures of the things that we liked (using the Camera App) to have them as reference. Most places are cool with that. Then while shopping for similar or complementary materials we could pull out the iPad and see if the color, design and shape of the supply would match or if we would have to choose something else.

Documenting the transformation

Every other day we would go to our place and check on the progress. Again, using the Camera App, We started taking pictures of the transformation.

We thought it would be very cool to have an album where we could show the different stages of the process to our friends and family. Also, if we ever sell our place, we could show the changes to the potential buyers. So we took pictures after the demolitions, half way through the rebuilding process and the finalized work.

Which other things are your using your iPad for?
Let me know by posting a comment on the form below.