Dueling Digs is one of my favorite Zillow features because it is entertaining and useful at the same time. Very few webapps manage to do both. You can get remodeling ideas while looking at real estate porn at the same time; what could be better.
I’m living this first hand right now, since I’m remodeling my house. I think a lot of Americans are in my situation: I moved in about 5 years ago and I expected to be selling the house right about now. Most people in my age bracket try to “trade up” every 5-7 years. However, with home prices down, this doesn’t seem like the right time to sell. So instead, I’m finally going to do some of the work on my house that I’ve been putting off for a few years: time to paint the dining room, redo the floor in the kitchen, and most importantly renovate my ugly master bathroom. But where to start? What do I do? Help!?
I called a friend whose recent renovation I had admired, and I asked whether they had any design help. She referred me to an interior designer who was happy to lend a hand. But her first question baffled me right out of the gate: “What is your color palette?” When I sheepishly told her that I had no clue, she dumbed it down for me a bit: “What is your favorite color?” I told her that I hadn’t thought about that question since I was 8 years old and my favorite color was blue, but that I didn’t think I should make my bathroom blue just because I used to like the New York Mets as a kid.
Dueling Digs to the rescue! She came over to my house and we sat in front of my computer for 20 minutes, browsing through the top bathroom designs on Zillow. Turns out I like aqua glass block, beige limestone floors, dark wood cabinetry and aqua countertops. Who knew!?
I’ll share before and after photos when it’s done in a few weeks. Thank you Dueling Digs!