The proliferation of technology in the remodeling industry has been so complete that it’s now less a luxury than an expectation, especially with Millennials. Deckorators’ online Deck Visualizer is an inexpensive (free) way for pros to streamline the deck design process while flexing their tech muscle—and a recent update not only increases the visualizer’s design options but also aims to improve the ease and accuracy of project estimating.
“The update takes things a little further from when we launched the visualizer in the fall,” says Chris Camfferman, head of outdoor living, home, and décor marketing for Universal Forest Products, Deckorators’ parent company. The Deck Visualizer app was already loaded with design features, from different decking styles to the ability to adjust joist beam sizes, and it gave remodelers a quick, intuitive means to produce 3-D deck renderings that could be altered in real time. The recent enhancements build on those capabilities by expanding the available design features and, more importantly, by adding product codes to the materials report that’s generated after the deck plans are finalized.
“That was a feature we added to simplify conversations between dealers, contractors, and, ultimately, the homeowners putting up the deck,” Camfferman says. “We added product codes so that professionals can easily take the materials lists the app gives them and deliver those straight to the dealers.”