App of the Week: Home Depot

Rob Kirsic: "Using this app wonʼt turn you into Mike Holmes, but it will help you do and fix basic things around your home"

“Out with the old and in with the new” about sums up the home improvement season that starts mid-spring, and carries on through the summer. 

If youʼve been thinking about changing a few things around your home, then Home Depot has a great app you should check out. This free app, available on Android and iPhone, is great for Ê»do-it-yourselfersʼ and those, like me, who need to learn how to be more handy around the home.

What I really love about this app is the toolbox and videos feature. Other than your standard features such as finding the closest store, scanning barcodes and having the ability to browse through products, these two features really make the app great.

The toolbox offers tools and calculators to use to help answer the questions youʼll need to answer as you start your project. For example, find out how much paint you need for a particular room or measure the dimensions of a room with the tape measure function. Throw in a unit converter, barcode search, drywall and flooring calculators and the toolbox comes fully-loaded to help you start any project.

This app also features a videos section covering projects small and large. The variety is great and covers most situations, regardless of the size of your home. The videos are only a few minutes long and they cover the basics and show what needs to be done to complete a project.

My only issue with this app is with the videos. A few times the app shut down when accessing some videos, which is problematic. Thankfully, I did not encounter this issue when accessing other parts of the app. Also, the videos should take a few seconds to list the tools needed for some jobs. Hearing that Iʼll need a Ê»screwdriverʼ for a project is annoying. It would be great if a bit more detail was added.

Using this app wonʼt turn you into Mike Holmes, but it will help you do and fix basic things around your home. Overall, I would recommend this app if you have projects that are piling up that need to get done before the summer comes. The sooner you tackle that to-do list, the sooner you could be outside enjoying the great weather or entertaining your friends and family, admiring your finished projects around the home.

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Rob Kirsic writes the App of the Week column for Toronto Standard. Follow him @robertkirsic.

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