The Wisdom of Crowds

Sometimes the internet can surprise you… in a good way.

Think you’ve had a dodgy tradesman around, but not quite sure what’s normal? Wondering how to DIY some steps? Or maybe you’re just having trouble deciding on kitchen tiles?

Why not ask the internet? Sure, it’s the same place that gave us Boaty McBoatface and the cinnamon challenge, but there’s some surprising wisdom to be found online if you know where to look.

It can seem impossible to secure the services of a tradie or designer in the real world, but head online and there are a surprising number of professionals offering opinions and advice for free.

As you prepare to tackle 2025’s to-do list, let’s run through some of the most useful among a growing number of online forums where experts (and enthusiastic amateurs) are happy to help DIY-ers get it right.

Renovation and Repairs

DIY Forum Australia

With more than 188,000 members, this broad-ranging Facebook forum generates plenty of feedback. Be warned, now and then it can be brutally honest. Those who have trade experience will usually state this upfront, so you know what weight to give to differing opinions.

Users can ask for advice, but many also share completed projects and plans. For others, it’s a useful way to gather feedback on work they may have paid a professional to do, but are unhappy with the end result.

Members can share their experience with similar projects, or recommend the best course of action once something has gone pear-shaped. It can be easy for homeowners to get snowed by sub-par tradespeople, so this forum helps arm homeowners with the knowledge and confidence to ask the right questions.

AusRenovation

Getting multiple quotes can often be a tough ask for homeowners. But with only one, or even two, you’re often left struggling to judge what is a fair price for the work being quoted. This Reddit forum devotes Mondays to delivering feedback on quotes and invoices.

Other days it’s open for any other renovation-related questions. With 87,000 members and many professionals among that number, it’s full of advice on anything from deciding whether to paint laminate kitchen cabinets to what to do about suspicious cracks in brickwork.

HomeOne Forum

While not as active as Reddit or Facebook forums, HomeOne generally prompts considered responses from building industry professionals.

It’s great for more technical queries about building design, codes and contracts. For example, one homeowner was told in the middle of a build that wall-wrap was unnecessary for his brick veneer home. He asked for advice on HomeOne and an experienced builder explained why he should insist on it, and approximately how much it should cost.

Landscaping

Landscaping DIY Australia

Even though Aussie block sizes are shrinking, we still love planning a garden project. This landscaping group is one of the largest Australian design forums on Facebook, with 298,000 members.

Need advice on what to plant to screen out your neighbours? How about fixing drainage issues or laying floating concrete steps? This is the group for you.

It’s particularly useful for planting recommendations and advice on common lawn or garden pests. There is also plenty of discussion about fencing laws.

Design

Houzz Discussion Forums

While Houzz is always a great site for inspo, including plenty of before and after photos along with renovation stories, it’s also great for ferreting out professional advice.

Once on the discussion homepage, you can take a deep dive into threads sorted by a huge range of topics including design dilemmas, plumbing, bathroom, appliances, and home decorating.

For those who’ve struggled through the decision fatigue that comes with renovating, simply putting flooring or tile options to a bunch of strangers to comment on can actually be incredibly useful.

Users can see the profiles of top commenters, with many in the design and renovation industry.

Forum members often post photos of rooms or floorplans seeking advice on layout, so it’s a great first or last step in any renovation planning to help either generate ideas or spot potential problems.

Sometimes advice from those who have been there before can be more helpful than professional input.

Budget Home Décor and Design Australia/New Zealand; and Ikea Tips, Hacks and More!

If you’re looking for a few decorating ideas on a budget, these groups are a great way to get inspiration and advice. See how others have used off-the-shelf products to create custom-look and custom-fit furniture in their homes.

They are private groups on Facebook, but simple to join. On that note, it’s worth seeking out private rather than public groups, because some unlocked home design pages have become victims of their own popularity, cluttered with spam posts.

Tech Help

Techsupport

Technology is as much a part of making a home run smoothly as the plumbing these days. So, if turning it off and on again isn’t cutting it, heading online is probably the obvious solution for tech issues.

This forum initially started on Reddit, but the page has also set up a new chat on the gamers’ channel of choice, Discord. Users are knowledgeable, helpful and nearly always online.