DIY projects can be incredibly rewarding, but they can also be stressful. There's nothing quite as blood-pressure-raising as hitting a snag in a project that brings everything to a screeching halt. Unsnagging your project can involve anything from spending hours searching the internet for answers (have you ever looked at electrical wiring diagrams on the internet? They're terribly confusing!), to calling in a costly professional to finish up where you left off. It's infuriating and a little disheartening.
So you can imagine my giddy surprise when I happened across DIYZ (pronounced DEE - EYE - WISE), a DIY project app that lets you video chat with a professional whilst you DIY away!
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Navigating the DIYZ app
The DIYZ app features loads of DIY tutorials that are jam-packed with photos, videos, and step-by-step guides. You simply scroll or search through the various projects and tap on one you'd like to complete. The folks at DIYZ told me they're ramping up to release new projects regularly. Each of the How-Tos is broken up into an overview, a step-by-step guide, and a list of supplies you'll need.
The overview gives you a basic description of the project you're looking to complete as well as a difficulty rating, the time it'll take you to complete the project (with a comparison of how long it'd take a pro), and a relative estimate for how much it'll cost you.
The step-by-step guide features photos, videos, and passages of text to walk you through the project — simply swipe between steps as you complete them.
One of my favorite details of the app is the Shop tab, which gives you the option to buy the necessary tools and supplies for each specific project from within the app. Just tap Shop in the toolbar at the top of the project and peruse the list to find and purchase the tools and supplies you need.
I'd like to phone a friend professional!
Hypothetical time! Let's say you open the cabinet underneath your bathroom sink and you're greeted by a large puddle of water. You check the necessary areas and determine you need to replace the water supply line. You launch the DIYZ app and find the tutorial for replacing the water supply line — what a coincidence! You gather all your tools and supplies and say the necessary prayers, and have at it. Everything's going great until you attempt to attach the supply line to the shut-off valve and discover it doesn't seem to fit. You could call a plumber in to finish the job, but it's going to cost you. You could also spend the rest of the day traipsing through internet forums looking for an answer, but you'll be stuck with a leaky sink the entire time.
Pro-tip: Don't do either of those things. Tap the little yellow hard-hat-wearing character at the bottom of the project page and tap Chat Now. You'll be able to video chat with a professional who can walk you through the process and get your project back on track!
Oh! And here's the best part: While the app is still in its early days, video calling is free. You can hold a live video call with a trained, insurance-carrying professional (general contractor) and it won't cost you a dime! DIYZ plans to roll out pricing in the future, so now's the time to get in all those DIY projects you've been ignoring.
Also, get this: I had a chance to speak with some folks from DIYZ at CES 2017 and they told me you should feel free to video call for any sort of home improvement/DIY project — even if it's not a project listed in the app! I don't know about you, but I'm going to be talking the ear off some of these professionals as I tackle random DIY projects around the house.
Let me know how it goes!
If you decide to check out DIYZ and get the chance to speak with a professional, I'd love to hear your story (and the deets of your home improvement project)! Shoot me a message over on Twitter or in the comments below.
