Virtual Renovation Services

What is virtual renovation?

Virtual renovation is the editing of a photograph so that the fixed parts of a room look renovated: the flooring, the wall colour, the kitchen cabinets, the worktops, the bathroom fittings, the lights. The room keeps its real shape, windows and view. Agents use it to sell a dated property on what it could be, and remodelers use it to show a client the job before it starts.

How is virtual renovation different from virtual staging?

Virtual staging adds furniture to a room and leaves the room alone. Virtual renovation changes the room itself. A full 3D rendering rebuilds the room from measurements, which is needed when the layout changes.

How much does a virtual renovation cost?

A virtual renovation costs from $79 a photo at this studio. Five other services publish a price, from $5 to $139 a photo, with a median of $69; the 3D rendering price index lists each one. The lowest prices are automated edits. Orders of five photos or more take 10% off, and ten or more take 15%.

What do you need to send for a virtual renovation?

• A photograph of each room, taken level, in good light, at the highest resolution you have.
• What should change: floors, walls, cabinets, worktops, fittings, lighting.
• The finishes you want, by product name, by photograph, or as a style such as "warm modern".
• What must stay: a fireplace, a window, original woodwork.

Can you show new cabinets, floors and paint on an existing kitchen?

Yes. A virtual kitchen renovation replaces the cabinet fronts, worktops, splashback, flooring, appliances and lighting in a photograph of the existing kitchen. A virtual bathroom renovation does the same with the vanity, tiles, shower screen and fittings. The room's shape and the positions of the windows and doors stay as they are in the photograph.

Can you remove a wall or change the layout?

A photograph can be edited to open a doorway or take out a short wall, when what is behind the wall is simple. When the layout really changes, an extension, a moved kitchen, two rooms made into one, the room is built in 3D from the plans, which is 3D interior rendering at $299 a view. The quote says which of the two the job needs.

Can the outside of a house be virtually renovated?

Yes. New siding, paint, roofing, windows, a porch and planting can be shown on a photograph of the existing house. Exterior photographs are quoted on the photograph, because the amount of house in the picture varies. An addition or a new storey is modelled in 3D, which is 3D house rendering.

Is virtual renovation allowed on a listing, and how must it be disclosed?

Virtual renovation is allowed on a property listing when the image is labelled as virtually renovated and the real photograph is shown too. It changes fixed parts of the property, so an unlabelled image can mislead a buyer. Most MLSs have a rule on digitally altered photographs, and the rule differs from one MLS to the next, so check yours before publishing. The label can be added to the image on request.

How accurate is a virtual renovation to what a contractor will build?

A virtual renovation is an illustration of the finished look, not a construction drawing. Colours and materials follow the products you name, but dimensions are read from the photograph and are not exact. A contractor needs drawings, and interior design drafting produces the plans and elevations for the same room.