This week, we're inviting AT readers to test drive two really, really new sites that are looking for feedback. Read about the site below and be among the few to check it out. We'll be posting again on Friday to hear your comments.
Site: Houzz.com
Test Drive Capacity: 200
Challenge: Create an Ideabook
Description: We're two self-confessed wannabe designers who love to look at, talk about and share stories about our latest home renovation projects.
As we embarked upon our latest home projects, we swapped tales of architects, contractors and paint colors, and realized that lots of other people could benefit from a way to share their home renovation ideas, top tips and recommendations. So houzz was born...
Houzz is a place where you can find inspiration, information and moral support from other home design fanatics. Browse photos, get ideas from hundreds of designers from around the world, and save it all in your virtual idea book. It's the online version of cutting pages out of magazines and stuffing them in a folder, which makes it much easier to search, save, and share. You can then find everything from local designers to architects and contractors who can help you make it a reality. Best of all, they'll know exactly what you're trying to do with just one click through your ideabook.
So, if you're a fellow home design fanatic, take a look round (it's free), see what you can find and create an ideabook, if you don't have a project right now, we know you're dreaming one up.
And if you're a professional designer, not amateurs like us, then upload some examples of your work and where people can find you (it's free for you too). And rest assured, on houzz you'll be in good company with other high-end designers and architects.
Special Beta Registration Link: >> http://www.houzz.com/signup/0e5572337d7473fae092746b9ac91632
We hope you'll all take the time to create an Ideabook, which we can then link to on Friday. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for visiting!
The Houzz Team

Comments (5)
Hate any site that makes me register, sign in before I even look at what the site offers. So HOUZZ TEAM forget about it! When will people learn what and who the public really is. GM/FORD/CHRYSLER HOUZZ will not make it because they dont give the public what they want. Car I can afford and a website I can see before I SIGN IN!
I'm with you on sites that force you to register before looking. But this site is still private, and trying to get some feedback before it opens to the public. You would expect it to be fully open when it launches. After all, this is the home of freedom of speech, and American architecture and design are as good as anywhere in the world, even if the car companies are having a hard time.
I signed up to Houzz so that I could get a sneak preview and I completely loved it. So much easier to be able to collect all my house-y ideas there rather than have a myriad scraps from magazines. Now I just need to make that dream of having a beach house a bit more of a reality :)
I love the idea of being able to browse for design professionals VISUALLY- makes perfect sense, and saves a TON of time if you're actually looking to hire someone!!!! I wish this had been around before! I also like the ideabook function because it allows you to keep all your ideas on one place with one simple click - rather than tearing out a million magazine articles and scanning them!
I found a similar site www.remodeleze.com. It's been unlocked for homeowners to look around and see contractors in their area and post stuff about their own homes & projects. I'm in LA and it seems to be mainly southern CA right now but my mom in Boston could go on too, so I guess they're branching out.