Houzz

Overview

Houzz connects homeowners with home professionals and vendors for renovation and design. Its professional offering, Houzz Pro, is aimed at businesses in remodeling and design, rather than homeowners choosing a paint or coating on its own. For a painting contractor, it can combine project administration, client communication and lead-generation options in one service.

Houzz also has a local directory where professionals can maintain profiles. Listings accept submissions from both homeowners and professionals, profiles can have reviews, and verified profiles are available. Houzz was founded in 2010.

Key features

Houzz Pro covers several parts of a project workflow. Its Pro plan includes estimates, invoicing, a 3D Floor Planner, online payments, assemblies and CRM. Digital contracts can be created from templates, signed electronically, and tracked with reminders and activity records.

The Web Product Clipper is a browser extension for saving products from supplier websites to the Houzz Pro product library. For painters, that could help keep selected materials and finish products together with project information, though the listed features do not specify paint-specific estimating or colour-selection tools.

The mobile app supports management of projects and leads, estimates, proposals, invoices, schedules, tasks, time and expenses, time clocks and daily logs. Project data can also be accessed offline when connectivity is unavailable or interrupted.

Houzz currently allows unlimited storage for data and features, including photos, videos and documents. Data is transmitted over HTTPS; credit-card payments meet PCI-DSS standards. Houzz stores data in AWS and maintains encrypted backups. Users can request a CSV export of their Houzz Pro data through privacy settings.

Integrations include QuickBooks Online, iCloud, Google, Office 365, Exchange, Outlook, Google Meet, 8x8, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoTo Meeting, Google Drive, Gmail, Gusto and Zapier. Zapier can import leads and projects into Houzz Pro, but cannot currently export Houzz Pro data.

Support options include live chat, email and phone, as well as a Help Center, video tutorials, training resources and a professional forum.

Pricing

Houzz uses a freemium model, with a free plan and a 30-day trial. The Free Plan costs 0.00 USD per free, billed Free Plan, and lists the 3D Floor Planner, estimates and invoicing.

The Pro plan is 249.00 USD per month, billed $0/mo for the 30 day free trial, then $249/mo. It includes estimates, invoicing, the 3D Floor Planner, online payments, assemblies, CRM, phone support and live chat support.

The Advertising Package is 499.00 USD per month, billed Starting at $499/mo. It lists preferred directory placement, a lead generation program and targeted advertising. A Custom plan has no price listed; its billing description is “Let's Talk.” Features listed for that plan include takeoffs, project scheduling, selections boards, daily logs, budgets, bid management, Google Suite integration, change orders, financial reports, marketing solutions, dedicated account support and unlimited users.

Online payment fees are listed as 3.5% for credit cards and 1% for ACH.

Platforms

Houzz is available on the web, Android and iOS, and as a browser extension. The extension is specifically useful for the Web Product Clipper. The mobile app brings project and lead-management functions to phones and supports offline access to project data.

Who it's for

Houzz Pro is most relevant to remodeling and design professionals who need administrative tools, client and project records, payment handling or a route to directory visibility. Painting contractors may find estimates, invoices, contracts, schedules and daily logs useful for managing work on walls, wood, concrete or metal, but the available feature details do not identify specialized paint specifications, coating calculators or colour-matching functionality.

Homeowners looking only for help selecting paint or a coating are not the central audience for the Pro tools. Houzz's homeowner-professional connection and local directory may still be relevant when looking for a renovation professional.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free plan includes estimates and invoicing; Pro combines project administration, payments, CRM and contract tools.
• Pros: Mobile project functions include offline data access, while storage is currently unlimited for listed data types.
• Pros: Broad integrations and multiple support channels are available.
• Cons: Pro is listed at 249.00 USD per month after its 30-day trial, and online payments carry stated fees.
• Cons: Zapier imports leads and projects but does not export Houzz Pro data.
• Cons: The supplied feature details do not describe paint-focused selection or coating-management tools.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison of options, see Remodeling contractor software. Other listed alternatives include Workhand, Buildshop, BuildBook, Build Method, Wunderbuild, ProBuilder OS, Buildxact and RenoTrack360.

Verdict

Houzz Pro is a broad business platform for renovation and design professionals, with a free entry tier and a paid plan that adds client, contract, payment and project tools. Its strongest relevance to painting contractors is operational: estimates, invoicing, scheduling, lead management and records can support the business around a job. It is less clearly suited to painters seeking dedicated guidance on choosing a paint, stain, sealer or floor coating for a specific surface, since those functions are not described among the listed features.