Innovative Products: HOVER Design Pro

HOVER’s recently launched Design Pro app aims to give exterior replacement contractors an easy, affordable means to help homeowners better visualize exterior renovations, by giving them actual visuals. 

“We want to provide a 3D experience so real it disrupts the industry,” says Design Pro product manager and former Pixar employee, Chris Ford. HOVER wants to achieve this without requiring any sort of special equipment. “With a minimum of eight photos taken with a smartphone at ground level—four walls, four angles—Design Pro will be able to render a high-quality 3D model of the home, which the contractor and homeowner can use to plan exterior renovations together.” No special cameras or drones needed. 

Turnaround time from pictures submitted to model rendered is anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the number of walls and angles of the house, of which each will require at least one picture, says Ford. “The algorithm behind the app is designed to understand angles, lighting, and depth to quickly produce the most precise rendering possible.” The measurements generated, he adds, are accurate up to a quarter of an inch. 

Turnaround time from pictures submitted to model rendered is anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours...

Having partnered with several high-profile roofing and siding brands, such as James Hardie, LP, and CertainTeed, Design Pro allows contractors and homeowners to look at different roofing and siding product lines on the home’s 3D model. “Changing the siding on your home can easily be a $10,000-plus job,” Ford says. “Homeowners don’t want to take chances on those kinds of decisions. This relieves that stress.” 

Design Pro is designed for ease of use. “Contractors don’t have time to learn complicated apps,” says Ford. And while the app is currently limited to siding and roofing products, HOVER intends to include window and paint options in the future, as well as an automated estimating tool. “We want contractors to think of it as a comprehensive exterior design tool.”