I have to start by saying, the internet is truly your friend for nearly all research tasks. It allows you to get to the most information, the fastest. There will be times when you need to go see, touch & feel something in person, but not always and doing it AFTER your internet research will save you a TON of time.
Even with the brilliance of the internet, you’re still at risk of sitting down to research fill-in-the-blank remodel item and then realizing you’re lost in cyberspace. The Hacks Life will map out a path for you to follow and share some of the best sites for quick & quality information.
First, begin with the end in sight- what are you trying to discover?
- Best value
- Highest quality
- Manufacturer comparisons
- Trends- current, old, emerging
For the broader topics like Best Value & Highest Quality, build a baseline first. This is essentially determining the averages so you can then tell what is good and not so good. You can do this easiest with two types of sources:
- The big sellers- Lowes, The Home Depot, Amazon
- The category specialists- LampsPlus.com, FaucetDirect.com, etc.
We’ll use LIGHTING as our example. To determine what is a good value for lighting, start by reviewing the types of lights you’re looking for at the big sellers. You’ll be able to see pretty quickly the highs and lows for lights you like.
Then, do the same process at the category specialist’s sites. These guys will likely have a bigger offering. Not only for the type of lights you like, but they should also have a bigger offering of manufacturers. This is good for you because you can discover manufacturers that you wouldn’t have found if you only looked at the big sellers.
As you’re building your baseline, be sure to use the SAVE option that most retailers offer. If you do this AS you’re reviewing your lights, saving your favs or items you want to look closer at, you will be able to go back to review your list and UNSAVE the items that don’t make the cut.
If you haven’t already read customer reviews for the lights you like, do this now. This is valuable information and you’ll easily be able to tell which comments are worthwhile and which shouldn’t be given much thought.
You can stop here and save your research until you’re ready to purchase OR you can go ahead and buy. I find if I wait a few days, I come back with a clearer view of what I really like AND something inevitability goes on sale… ah the power of the internet.
If you’re researching something specific, the method is more straightforward. For a manufacturer comparison, you really can simply google X vs. Y. Make sure the sites you utilize are people who really know what they’re talking about. Industry Groups and Wholesalers or Distributors are good sources- these folks cater mostly to trade professionals and tend to share more of the “inside scoop” on products. You can also look to quality, accredited bloggers & vloggers. YouTube is a great source for reviews and head to head comparisons.
Similarly, if you’re researching trends, you can also simply google the trends you’re interested in with searches like: Top 2020 Lighting Trends, 2020 Kitchens & Baths. It’s important to include the YEAR if you want to get current information. Otherwise, you could accidentally use old trend data, which is the opposite of what you want. While the big search engines are great, my favorite resources for trend information are more specific.
- HOUZZ- for nearly everything home (If you don’t know HOUZZ, get to know them.)
- Retailers that offer INSPRIATION pages- Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, IKEA- many of the home and décor companies with big catalogs.
- Style specific magazines- Traditional Home, Coastal Living, etc.
- **Be careful of Pintrest- I LOVE Pintrest, but here you have to pay close attention to your sources. Anyone can pin and the pins may not be specific to upcoming trends.
Why the Quick & Quality method works-
- You can do this whole process from your smart phone.
- You can do you research in small batches when you have free time OR you can sit down at your computer and bang it out in an hour or two.
The Q&Q method gives you the information you need to feel confident in your decisions. It won’t make you an expert or a professional, but it will definitely arm you with the knowledge you need without wasting your time.
Here’s to a better remodel: more beautiful & economical with less stress!
