CNNdotCOM Tools: Virtual home improvement

Tools like Exterior FX, at the Owen's Corning Web site, let you experiment with siding, roofing and trim colors

From Mary Kathleen Flynn
CNNdotCOM Correspondent

(CNN) -- From online hardware stores to how-to guides, home improvement Web sites are turning hands-on projects into virtual experiences as well.

"It used to be that a hammer might be the first tool you pick up when tackling a home improvement project," said Tom Kraeutler, fix-it expert and ImproveNet spokesman. "Today it is the Internet. It's really the first tool in the home improvement tool box."

Some still consider home improvement projects to be a male-dominated sport, but one out of three women is a do-it-yourselfer. And Web sites are catering to those women.

QUICKVOTE If you were changing the look of your home, where's the first place you'd go for ideas? Internet Yellow Pages Hired professional Retail store None of the above View Results    VIDEO CNN DotCom Tools shows how to plan home improvements before ever picking up a hammer Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     RESOURCES Do it yourself with these Web resources

"Guys buy in units. They buy a shirt, they buy a pair of pants -- it doesn't matter if it goes together," said Kraeutler. "Women buy for a system, they buy for an entire outfit So instead of trying to sell you the shingle, (Web sites) are now positioning the shingle with the siding and the trim color."

At a site like Owen's Corning, you can see this trend in action by clicking Launch Exterior FX. Choose from five different model houses to experiment with, and then play with the siding, roofing and trim colors to see how they look together.

Hunting for furniture? You can get a similar virtual experience at sites like Furniture.com, where you can arrange furniture according to the parameters of your room.

The larger hardware stores and associations are a natural place to turn for help, and many of their Web sites have handy calculators like the Decorating Calculator at TrueValue.com. To determine how much wallpaper or paint you'll need to cover a room, click on Projects from the TrueValue.com home page and look for the Decorating Calculator on the right side. After punching in the room specifications, the calculator tells you the number of rolls of wallpaper or cans of paint youll need.

TrueValue.com also has how-to tips on everything from replacing siding to cleaning gutters. And if you decide to hand part of the project over to a contractor, you can find one at ImproveNet.

So do these Web sites make it easier for enthusiastic handy men and women to get in over their heads?

"If you're confident about the source (of your home improvement information), that's the first thing. The second thing is to remember, as with any home improvement project, it's important to work within your ability and not over it," Kraeutler said.

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Furniture.com
Owen's Corning Exterior FX
Truevalue.com
ImproveNet

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