Do the names Chip and Joanna Gaines sound familiar to you? What about Drew and Jonathan Scott, a.k.a. the Property Brothers? With the popularity of home renovation and redesign shows on HGTV, we wouldn’t be surprised if you could list a dozen more names from the same channel: in May, the Home and Garden Network was the fourth-most-watched channel in America, averaging more than over 1.6 million viewers overall.
Despite the fact that people are watching it, few are feeling inspired enough by the riveting drama and grand reveals to invest in a little remodel of their own: around 9% of Americans haven’t updated their home decor in more than a decade, and 47% haven’t in the last five years. It is precisely because of this divide that two millennials — Chad Hall and Jon Amar — have created an app to make the renovation process easier and less intimidating.
The app Remodelmate connects homeowners with local and independently-owned companies with the click of a button; simply input your cares — like cost, experience, and timeline — and you will be auto-assigned the best contractor for the job. As Hall and Amar put it, “push a button, new crib, easy.”
The system is a win-win for everyone. Smaller businesses can compete with big conglomerates thanks to the increased business, and the stress and hassle of figuring out exactly what you want to be done for your reno project is compacted into a single act — no muss, no fuss.
“Renovations are unpredictable for homeowners and contractors,” said Hall. “Homeowners have become so accustomed to unpredictable home remodeling experiences that they expect a renovation to run over budget and over schedule. They enter into agreements, spend thousands of dollars, and expect a terrible experience. That’s crazy to me. Our mission is to turn a too-often lose-lose situation into a win-win.”
The pair are ready to help millennials achieve their dreams in the coming years. In 2019, they’re hoping to help around 1,200 people buy and fix their first homes in 2019 in DC (where they’re based). By 2020, help 6,000 to 10,000 do the same in major cities across the country.
