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Renoviso Secures $7M in Funding to Transform Home Improvement –

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Funding Will Fuel Renoviso’s Service Area Expansion and Customer Experience Platform

Renoviso, a service revolutionizing how homeowners complete renovation projects through transparency and technology, today announced that it has raised an additional $7M in funding led by Corigin Ventures.

Existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, NextView Partners and FJ Labs, among other new investors, also joined the round. The new funds will be leveraged as the company expands into a number of new markets and continues to evolve its customer experience platform with augmented reality and mobile technologies.

Fraught with high-pressure sales tactics, little transparency and minimal reliability, the antiquated home renovation industry has frustrated homeowners for decades. Renoviso’s CEO and co-founder, Eric Horndahl, experienced many of those pain points when renovating his own home years ago. His frustrating experience served as the inspiration for Renoviso. Together with co-founder Brian Waldman, the pair saw an opportunity to leverage technology to create a fundamentally better home renovation experience.

Renoviso’s platform solves common industry issues by enabling consumers to seamlessly build project quotes online with fully transparent pricing. The company also offers tech-enabled project management and award-winning customer service throughout the home renovation journey. This unique approach has produced exceptional customer reviews from homeowners in existing Renoviso service areas, which include New England, the Greater New York Tri-State area, and the Greater Philadelphia area. Within the next year, the company plans to expand into new markets, including the Greater Washington D.C. area, Greater Baltimore, and Chicago.

“We’re thrilled to bring Corigin on board as we modernize the outdated and painful process homeowners go through to renovate their homes,” said CEO and co-founder Eric Horndahl. “We’ll leverage this new round of funding to execute our planned expansion and invest in new technologies, like AR and mobile, in order to build an even better customer experience.”

The funding announcement comes on the heels of an incredible year for Renoviso. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of homeowners visited Renoviso.com to build a home improvement project, and the total value of those projects grew more than 3x year over year.

“Renoviso offers a much needed, modern platform to homeowners looking to seamlessly execute a home renovation project,” said David Goldberg, general partner at Corigin Ventures. “We look forward to working with Renoviso as they continue to grow their business and prove that the home renovation industry can be transformed through technology and better customer service.”

Renoviso previously raised $4.9M in funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, NextView Partners, NextGen Venture Partners and others. The co-founders have an established track record of building high-growth businesses, including BuyerZone, Cayan, eBay, and FlipKey (TripAdvisor).

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Top 6 Backsplash Materials to Consider For Your Kitchen Renovation

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We’ve previously discussed common options for kitchen countertops, and even looked at some inspirational kitchen backsplashes, but before you embark on a project, it’s good to know what your options are in terms of backsplash materials. 

Backsplashes might, at a functional level, protect your walls from splashes and spills, but the best kitchen backsplashes are also a critical aesthetic element to any design. Here, we take a look at six of the most common backsplash materials, and when and where they’re best suited. 

1. Ceramic and Porcelain Tile 

For decades now, tile has been the most common backsplash choice because of its versatility; variety of shapes, colors, and sizes; and range of price points. Ceramic, porcelain, and glass tile are all resistant to heat and moisture, and are easy to clean because of their glossy surfaces. 

2. Glass Panels

Another common backsplash material with a more modern look is back-painted glass, wherein the glass has been coated on the side that is in contact with the wall. The resulting backsplash is streamlined, modern, and easy to clean—the lack of grout lines allows for a continuous surface, and reduces the possibility of anything getting stuck in the grout. 

The reflective properties of glass also mean that light will bounce around the space more, making it a great option for kitchens that need a pop of color and an enhancement of natural light. 

3. Natural Stone Slabs

It’s hard to beat the unique beauty of natural stone, which can be obtained in a range of prices and sizes, from small marble tiles to entire slabs of granite or marble. 

You’ll often see kitchens use the same material as the countertop on the backsplash; in the case of bookmatching, the veining and patterning in the slab is mirrored by the adjacent slab. Natural stone backsplashes create a dramatic, cohesive look in the space, and can also reduce grout lines for easy cleaning. 

4. Exposed Brick

If you live in an older building, exposed brick or stone might be an option for your backsplash. Evocative, textured, and full of character, exposed brick can bring a touch of history and a rustic sensibility, but it doesn’t come without care. 

If you’re considering exposing a brick or masonry wall in a place like the kitchen, you’ll want to make sure it’s carefully cleaned and sealed with a sealant designed for its location (whether it’s a party wall between two adjacent buildings or an exterior wall). You’ll also want to make sure that the brick itself is in good enough condition to be exposed.

5. Wood and Plywood

A backsplash in a kitchen might be one of the places where you’d least expect the material, but with careful planning and detailing, a wood or plywood backsplash can be a great addition to any kitchen. 

You’ll want to seal or treat the wood against water and other liquids, and you may want to use a different material in particular areas, like that behind the sink, where it’s more likely for the wood to deteriorate.

6. Metal Panels and Tiles

Metal tiles and panels have been climbing the list of common backsplash options in recent years. Typically used in professional kitchens, stainless-steel backsplashes, in particular, have the ability to reflect light while still giving a sleek, smooth feel. 

Consider pairing it with a stainless-steel countertop or a warmer, more natural stone countertop for a more residential vibe.

Source

https://www.dwell.com/article/kitchen-backsplash-ideas-renovation-66b69093

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Mount Prospect man accused in home improvement scam targeting elderly Park Ridge couple

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A Mount Prospect man has been arrested in connection with a home improvement scam targeting an elderly Park Ridge couple, police said.

Tony Miller, 56, of the 1700 block of Bonita Avenue, was charged with residential burglary, home invasion and aggravated battery to an elderly person following a reported “ruse entry” scam that occurred last month, Park Ridge police said.

According to police, two men approached a couple outside their home on the 200 block of South Rose Avenue on May 30, one of them offering to do repairs to their roof and driveway. While one of the men was speaking with the husband about driveway repairs, the 85-year-old female resident entered the home and was reportedly followed by the second man, whom police have identified as Miller.

Inside a bedroom, police said Miller stole $900 worth of jewelry and grabbed the woman by her wrists and pushed her to the floor when she encountered him. He and the other man then left the area in a white pickup truck, police said.

Park Ridge Deputy Police Chief Duane Mellema said police worked with a a ruse burglary unit of the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force to investigate possible suspects. The female resident then positively identified Miller from a photo lineup as the man who had been inside her home, Mellema said.

Bond for Miller was set at $200,000, and he remained in Cook County Jail custody Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. As of Thursday, the sheriff’s office website showed he remained in custody.

The jewelry reported stolen from the couple’s home has not been recovered, Mellema said.

jjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter: @Jen_Tribune

Source

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/park-ridge/news/ct-prh-ruse-burglary-arrest-tl-0621-story.html

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How Tools and Home Improvement Brands Can Win On Amazon

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Amazon is an increasingly important channel for brands selling tools and home improvement products. For ecommerce teams looking to take advantage of this growth, it’s important to understand what aspects of the Amazon product page are the most critical to growing sales and building market share. I recently led a webinar specifically focused on this vertical, and our accompanying benchmark report for brands selling on Amazon. Listen to the 30-minute webinar or take a look at the highlights we’ve gathered for you.

1. Growing review counts needs to be a top priority

It’s no secret that consumers take a lot of stock in how a product is reviewed on Amazon. In fact, a study we conducted across more than 2,000 consumers earlier this year showed that better reviews help drive higher margins, and are a big contributor to consumer trust of that brand:

But tools and home improvement brands need to be especially focused on this area. Products that are the biggest sellers on Amazon within the category had review counts that positively dwarfed those of poor sellers. Specifically, the difference in review counts between products in the top 10% of Amazon Sales Rank, and the bottom 10% ranged from roughly 10X to more than 30X.

While improving review counts doesn’t happen overnight, tools and home improvement brands need to employ tactics to help grow these as fast as possible. This includes including an in-package insert soliciting a review from the customer, to post purchase email communications, to approved paid review campaigns like Amazon Vine.

2. Regardless of price, your product should have more than 1-2 images

There were a few recurring themes across every price point studied within the benchmark report, and two of them revolved around image counts. In what should be encouraging to every brand that understands the value of product content, a plurality of products within every price range studied only had a single image on their respective pages. Meanwhile, top-performing product pages consistently had 2X+ more images than poor performers, ranging from an average of 3.9 to 4.6. The example below, from the $250 and above segment in the report, is typical:

While getting additional imagery for every single product in your catalog may not be realistic over the short term, brands in this space should initially focus their efforts on improving imagery for their products with high sales volumes or high margins. This will place the business on more solid footing before moving to longer-tail products. Qualitatively, we saw top performers including in-use or in-home product shots as part of their assortment in order to better illustrate product quality or functionality to prospective buyers.

3. Don’t glaze over below-the-fold content or A-Plus

Our co-founder Rob Gonzalez recently co-hosted a webinar with Mark White from Content26, and one of the major insights coming out of that session was the importance of below-the-fold, A-Plus content on Amazon. While not every consumer scrolls down to that section, those that do are likely your most engaged, and for them, that content significantly helps with conversion.

Top performers in the tools and home improvement space used that below-the-content in a variety of ways depending on the product. Some, like Philips and their Hue smart light bulbs, emphasize use cases and functionality. Others, like Moen and their touchless faucet, look to harp on product quality and craftsmanship. In any case, your product’s key marketing messages should get reemphasized here in order to drive those conversions with engaged buyers.

Because Amazon rewards higher conversion with higher search placement, brands that execute well get the positive feedback loop that drives sales over the long term. As we’ve written previously, regardless of whether you are using AMS & Promotions, in the long-run your products need to convert at a higher rate than the competition when buyers land on the page.

For more tips and data, be sure to check out the full Product Page Benchmark Report, which gives a lot more color on these and other trends within the tools and home improvement marketplace on Amazon.

Source

https://www.salsify.com/blog/how-tools-and-home-improvement-brands-can-win-on-amazo

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Home Improvement Just Got Better – Our Partnership with Joist

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We’re in the full swing of home improvement season here at SoFi. We launched our Tiny Kitchen Makeover campaign to kick things off, and even conducted a survey on the DIY home improvement habits of Millennials versus Baby Boomers (TLDR: Millennials do it for the ‘gram).

And now, we’re excited to announce a new partnership with Joist, a software platform used by over 650,000 trades contractors to estimate, invoice, process payments and manage their projects from anywhere. We’re partnering with Joist to help empower contractors to provide homeowners with access to financing options to get their dream project done and help show why a SoFi Personal Loan for home improvement may be the right fit.

So why all this focus on home improvement? Because it’s what our members want. We surveyed our members who used a SoFi Personal Loan for a home improvement project and found that over 50% started their projects sooner thanks to the loan and 27% wouldn’t have started that project at all without SoFi.

The overwhelming majority of homeowners drain their cash savings and leverage high APR credit cards when embarking upon home renovations. That can be a very costly approach. And not to mention, home remodels are rife with compromise, and homeowners are often forced to scale back their vision due to financial constraints. SoFi offers the largest home improvement loan in the market of up to $100,000, and can be the answer to helping members like you turn your house into your dream home, without paying for it in the form of sky-high interest rates.

“Joist has been supporting contractors and helping them win jobs for the last 5 years,” said Brendon Sedo, CEO and Founder of Joist. “Our partnership with SoFi will not only help contractors win more business, but also provide the customer with great options to pay for it, and get their dream project done!”

Working with a partner like Joist helps us spread the good word and to help us meet our future members when they need us the most – like when hiring a contractor and getting that first real glimpse on how much a project may cost. Joist is the perfect partner to help us do this, with over half a million customers to date. We’re excited to work together! You can learn more about Joist by visiting their site here.

Source

https://www.sofi.com/blog/home-improvement-just-got-better-our-partnership-with-joist/

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