Below is a detailed guide for setting and up using Houzz
Creating Your Houzz Account
When you first click on the Houzz.com link, you'll be greeted with a sign-up screen. If you don't already have an account, you'll need to create one. For security reasons, we recommend signing up with your email address and creating a password unique to your Houzz account.
Finding Inspiration
For many of our clients, finding photos on Houzz that provide ideas and inspiration for your project is one of the exciting and enjoyable parts of the remodeling experience. Once you've created your account and have signed in, you'll find yourself at the home page. From there you'll see the menu option "Photos" at the top left corner just below the Houzz logo. At the heart of Houzz are millions of photos that you'll be able to browse.
Hovering over the "Photos" menu option will bring up the different areas of the home that the photos are divided into. Select the appropriate area of the home you are interested in. Notice that you can fine tune your search by clicking on the Style menu in the left hand column and that you can further refine your search by clicking on the drop down menu in the center column that will allow you to select by "All Time Popular" or "Latest Activity" among others. Additionally, you can create a specific search by entering key words that describe what you are looking for at the search box at the top of the page. For example, you could enter "white kitchen cabinets with dark wood island" to find inpiration photos that match what you may already have in mind.
CREATING YOUR IDEA BOOK
As you find photos with elements you'd like to consider for your project, click the +Save button that will appear at the bottom of the photo which will appear when you hover over the photo. A dialogue box will appear giving you the opportunity to +Create New idea book. Make sure to name your Idea Book using your first and last name followed by the area of the home this idea book is for, example: "Sue Smith Kitchen". Providing this information will allow us to more easily find and keep track of your ideabook later on when you share it with us.
SAVING PHOTOS TO YOUR IDEA BOOK
After selecting which Idea Book the photo will be saved in, you'll see an area you can add notes about what you see in the photo that you like. Adding information about what you both like and don't like in the photo is critical in helping us understand what it is you want us to focus on. An example of a note you might add would be "Love the color of the cabinets and counter tops, not so crazy about the color of the floor - would prefer a light colored tile with this color scheme instead of the dark hardwood..." After you've added notes to your photo click on "Done", DO NOT click on Email this Photo. Continue adding photos to your idea book until you feel you've added enough photos to adequately reflect your tastes, preferences and ideas. Don't worry if many of the photos you've saved seemed rather different from one another - together these photos will create a mosaic and together we'll find the perfect combination of ideas and inspiration to create a design that is perfect for you.
SHARE YOUR IDEA BOOK
Once you have saved a number of photos to your idea book it's time to share it with your designer, or family and friends you'd like to get input from. You can do this by clicking on the "Your Houzz" menu option at the top right corner of the screen, and then the Ideabooks tab which will appear. Next, click on the Idea Book you'd like to share and then the "Add or Edit Collaborators" option. Enter the email address of the person you'd like to share your Ideabook with and then "Send". Remember, you can always add additional photos to your Ideabook, or create a new Ideabook for other areas of your home. Have fun!