Victoria Brocklesby, COO at Origin, the UK’s leading manufacturer of aluminium doors and windows, talks to us about the AI tools that can help you effectively manage your renovation or selfbuild project. 

Managing a renovation project without the help of a professional project manager can save you up to 20%, allowing you to have more budget to spend on materials, labour, and the finishing touches that take a property from a house to a home. However, not working with a project manager means that the job falls solely to you, which is not only stressful, but also incredibly time-consuming.  

Luckily, in today’s tech-orientated world, there’s a plethora of online tools out there that innovatively use AI to help you successfully manage your renovation project at every stage, from planning and designing, through to budgeting and timescales. When used effectively, you can achieve the renovation of your dreams, and you can keep it track and to budget. 

For budgeting

Getting your budget wrong can create significant problems down the line, but if this is your first renovation project or financial planning just isn’t your thing, it can be tricky to get right. 

• taskade is an AI productivity software that includes a massive range of budgeting tools, including a construction budget planner that’s perfect for renovations and selfbuilds 

For project management 

Once you have your budget in place, project management becomes your chunky task. Between coordinating suppliers and contractors, it can be an all-encompassing challenge. 

• Trello is loved by self-builders as it helps you to simply manage projects and tasks with drag-and-drop functionality. It includes an AI content writer/editor, and has a great free plan option which allows you to collaborate with others including a partner or even your builder 

For construction 

Whether you’re working closely with a builder for your entire project, or you’ll be taking on a lot of the work yourself once the building work is out of the way, it’s important to have information at your fingertips when you need it. 

• ChatGPT is transformative for all industries, but when managing your own house renovation, you can use it for advice on how to do DIY and construction tasks, and how to solve renovation mistakes, to name a few of its uses. It presents an opportunity to find advice quickly and in one place, instead of searching through multiple websites to find the answers you need

For interior/exterior design 

Once the framework of your property is built, now comes the fun bit – interior and exterior design. 

• Midjourney allows you to create any image or visual from text prompts. Not only does this help with interior design, but it can be a great starting point to explore your creativity and see what’s possible
• RoomGPT is a personal interior designer. Using AI, you can upload an image of the room you want to renovate, and it will redesign it based on your preferences  
• Spacely AI uses both AI and an actual design team to redesign rooms from images 
• IKEA Kreativ allows you to fully design and furnish a space with IKEA’s furniture. It’s possible to scan your room, delete your current furniture and replace it with IKEA’s instead
• DreamzAR is a landscape and garden design tool that uses AI. Simple to use, just take a photo of your garden and apply designs. If you’re stuck for ideas, it also includes an AI design idea generator

Together, these AI tools provide a comprehensive suite of platforms to help selfbuilders and renovators manage and plan their projects. So, not only will your project be on track and on budget, but should be less stressful too. 

Visit Origin for more advice and to try its aluminium front door configurator.