Making Virtual Your New Reality

ACo Modernizes with Virtual In-Home Design to Help You Love Where You Live

There is no doubt about it – 2020 will be remembered as the year in which the world was forced to change. As government officials imposed mandates to temporarily close businesses and shared strict social distancing directives, suddenly all of society had to learn to adapt to a new normal. But as the old adage goes, “The only thing that is constant is change.” As such, individuals, families, and businesses all modified their way of life in order to help the greater good.

“Adversity inspires innovation,” says David Decker, owner of ACo, a Fishers-based remodeling company that specializes in floorings, cabinets, kitchens, and baths. “That’s why at ACo, we have modernized our business to work virtually as much as possible. Virtual design services are the new reality.”

Now, more than ever, community members are looking forward to looking forward. People have no interest in putting their plans on indefinite hold. Quite the contrary, they want to look to the future. Between jobs, family, and life’s many obligations, often home improvement projects take a backseat priority as homeowners struggle to carve out the necessary time to do the proper research and discuss viable options. Right now, however, society is presented with a unique opportunity to take a breath, open one’s laptop, and, without feeling rushed or frazzled, dream big.

Whether a homeowner is planning a new kitchen, master bathroom, or replacing flooring, ACo can guide folks through the challenges of designing a project, taking measurements, and selecting the perfect finishes using a virtual, safe, worry-free approach.

The process starts when a homeowner like you connects with ACo via their website. You can start by using the ACo Budget Calculator to get a baseline for your remodel or go straight to requesting your free virtual in-home consultation. An ACo designer will reach out to establish which apps you will utilize for videoconferencing, measuring, and design inspiration. After helping you download the apps to your phone, tablet, or computer, the designer will conduct the initial virtual design consultation.

HOW A VIRTUAL DESIGN CONSULTATION WORKS

As part of the process, you will give your designer a tour of the space you want to remodel via video conference before discussing design inspiration, project details, and budget. Homeowners may choose to utilize Pinterest, Houzz, or Morpholio Board to exchange ideas, find inspiration, or brainstorm possibilities.

The designer will then walk you through how to measure doors, windows, trim, and any odd spaces. This is when more of those virtual apps like the Measure App, MagicPlan, and CamtoPlan will come in handy, helping you measure and helping your designer get the full picture of the layout of your rooms.

Your ACo Designer will then provide you an estimate and selection mood board via another Zoom video conference and the Morpholio Board App.

“Many people like to share inspiration photos with their ACo designer to give them an idea of their preferences or vision. As a designer, I love the reaction I get when I pull their inspiration together and present a Morpholio Mood board,” says Carlie Suski, ACo Design & Sales Consultant. “It has a definite wow factor.”

Then comes the selection process where the designer will virtually walk you through choosing your flooring, cabinets, and finishes from the ACo showroom utilizing video conference. Dani Kohl, Design and Sales Consultant with ACo, maintains that there is no magic in achieving a great virtual design.

“It’s all about my creativity and commitment, combined with my team’s hard work, to keep clients engaged,” says Kohl. “But most of all, I like to keep the fun and enthusiasm in any and all of my designs.”

FLOORVANA+ FLOORING VISUALIZER

Another helpful tool you can access through ACo is the Flooring Visualizer. This tool lets homeowners envision various flooring options from Shaw in their space via their computer, phone, or tablet. All you do is upload an image of the room you want to focus on, view the wide array of Shaw Floors solutions, and see how they bring your space to life. You can try out different designs and styles, save and organize the options you like best, and have your ACo designer help you determine what color, style, and material complements the aesthetics of your home.

“I’ve been using the Flooring Visualizer with clients for a few months now,” says Todd Moretto, another of ACo’s Design & Sales Consultants who specializes in flooring. “Clients’ love that they can use this augmented reality to get a clearer picture of how new flooring will transform their home, as well as decide what truly looks best in their space.”

After creating a new design board and sharing the selections you have made via Morpholio, the designer will drop off samples on your front porch that you want to see in person. Then final design selections, drawings, and pricing are shared virtually.

MEASUREMENTS, REVISIONS, AND INSTALLATION

Once selections have been made and the design is ready for field measure, you can either proceed with the in-home measure process or wait until you are more comfortable for an in-home visit to finalize measurements and scope.

When it comes time for in-home measurement and scope review by the designer and pre-construction manager, all necessary actions and sanitary precautions will be taken to ensure all parties are healthy – for instance, thoroughly washing hands & using hand sanitizer upon arrival, wearing shoe covers & rubber gloves, maintaining a social distance of six feet or more, and wiping down doorknobs, light fixtures, counters, and other surfaces. Following revisions and contract acceptance (all done virtually), installation will follow the same safety precautions noted above, as well as include a jobsite sanitation station for the duration of your remodel.

“When homeowners are ready to tackle a home improvement project while practicing social distancing but aren’t sure where to start, ACo is here to help,” says Decker. “Using video conferencing, in-home measuring apps, virtual reality, and our flooring visualizer, our designers will guide you through planning and executing your project from afar.”

Contact ACo for your free virtual in-home design consultation. The brand new ACo Showroom is located in the design center at Hub & Spoke at 8100 E. 106^th Street, Suite 130, Fishers, IN 46038. For more information, call 317-688-1872 or visit LiveACo.com.