Developments in AI technology help homebuyers visualize their new spaces

Good news for the homebuyer who has a hard time picturing what their house or condo will look like once construction is complete: Modern technology makes it easier than ever to get a sneak preek of the finished product.

There’s a plethora of AI tools available – such as VisualizeAI, RoomsGPT and HomeVisualizerAI – that allow homebuyers and homeowners to plan out their spaces and see what their visions will look like in action. Generally, they take existing images, such as room photos or floor plans, as well as text inputs for finer details. Many can apply design styles, or even the signature styles of well-known designers, with some allowing the user to adjust the creativity level of the finished product.

And just as consumers are finding new ways to use it for inspiration, homebuilders, remodelers and interior designers alike are incorporating AI into their processes to offer clearer visuals – and shorter waits to get them.

AI can’t replace judgment, creativity or expertise, but it makes the two-way communication of ideas much faster and clearer, says Jim Yezbak, project visionary for Old World Custom Homes. Old World has made it a priority to use AI in parts of its operation, not only to help clients visualize what they’re building but to better take into consideration the AI inspirations some clients bring with them.

Old World Custom Homes

Old World uses AI technology to add landscaping to renderings.

As an example, he points to tools that show clients their options in different architectural motifs – “Show me this in modern Tudor, show me this in prairie style,” in Yezbak’s words – though he also emphasizes the importance of having experienced professionals on hand who know how to translate AI-generated images into feasible designs. AI-generated images may be photorealistic, he says, but they’re not always structurally sound – though he expects the technology to eventually be able to take structural integrity into account.

Old World has been generating 3D renderings for almost as long as that technology has been available to homebuilders, and the evolution of those visualization tools in the past few years has been striking, Yezbak says.

“When we wanted to do a hyper-realistic rendering maybe two or three years ago, it would take 12 hours to 18 hours to generate this image, and you could only have one style of image,” he says.

Now, though, the company can generate 3D renderings almost instantly, making it possible to quickly show the effects of any changes to the plan – even ill-advised changes, so customers don’t have to worry as much about making a mistake, since it can be corrected immediately. And the technology can incorporate far more factors, too, which means homebuyers can see, for instance, what the house will look like at different times of the day with different positions of the sun in the sky.

The tool of choice for apartment builder Wilcox Communities is Archsynth, an AI-powered engine that can take concept plans, floor plans, stencil drawings, black-and-white line work and more, and almost instantly show what they’ll look like in real life with just a few prompts.

Wilcox Communities

Archsynth transforms one of Wilcox Communities' floor plans into a 3D rendering.

“I can put (concept plans) in there and do photo isometric drawings on the fly, I can create illustrative 3D renderings and drawings from 2D plans,” says Andrew Bowsher, chief development officer for Wilcox.

Customers sometimes have difficulty picturing what a given room might look like, so the ability to quickly turn a two-dimensional floor plan into a three-dimensional drawing with furniture, fixtures and accessories makes it far easier to illustrate what they can expect.

“It’s like the first tour of our community before they even set foot in the unit itself,” says Bowsher.

Epcon Communities has taken to using homebuilding AI platform Higharc for its AI modeling needs. All it takes is a single floorplan sketch to generate a 3D model, and even with the necessary human input afterward, it saves a great deal of time, says Mats Ahlstrom, director of design for the company’s product development division. The company recently used Higharc and rendering software to generate some 100 three-dimensional images in a single week.

“That probably would have taken us six months otherwise,” Ahlstrom says, “maybe longer if we had to model it and then send it out to a rendering company.”

Virginia Homes recently finished a major overhaul of its processes, including an automation initiative for its selection portal that uses AI technology to automatically update pictures of the homebuyer’s planned space. That makes it a snap to switch out paint colors, fixtures, trim, interior and exterior doors, even fireplace mantels, so the customer can see right away what their changes will look like, says company President Charles Ruma.

Virginia Homes

Virginia Hommes' AI-powered design portal

“They can do this at Starbucks over a cup of coffee instead of having to be in the design center,” Ruma says.

Now, by the time a lot of clients visit the design center, the only design element they still have to figure out is flooring. The improvements don’t just offer clarity for the customer, Ruma says; they also offer clarity for the members of his team, who can easily review and know exactly what the customer signed off on.

“For us, as the builder, it’s very clear what everything looks like and where it goes,” he says.

Old World’s customers often come in with AI-inspired design preferences, and that means it’s up to the team to figure out what’s possible in their space given price points, location, building codes, etc. The images are just the start of the conversation, Yezbak says.

“You can’t just generate a pretty image and say, ‘OK, yep, done,’” he says.

A trained eye is crucial for spotting AI-generated discrepancies, Ahlstrom says: a trim detail that doesn’t line up, say, or a garage door that’s a different color from the front door.

“You’ve got to have a detailed eye for what you’re looking at,” he says.