AR Renovation Planning: See It Before You Demolish It
The most expensive renovation mistakes come from decisions that look good on 2D drawings but fail in real space. Apple RoomPlan API and ARKit let you see renovation outcomes in the actual physical context before any wall is touched.
Apple RoomPlan: Automated Room Modeling
RoomPlan (iOS 16+, iPhone 12 Pro+) uses LiDAR + Computer Vision to generate a parametric room model automatically — walls with ±2 cm dimensional accuracy, doors, windows, and categorized furniture — exported as a USDZ file. A 30–40m² room scans in under 5 minutes.
Layer 1: Structural Wall Identification
Upload the USDZ floor plan to a structural engineer for load-bearing wall identification in Revit or Autodesk Forma. The tagged model returns with AR overlay categories: green (safe to demolish), red (load-bearing — do not remove), yellow (contains MEP routing — check before demolition).
Layer 2: MEP Visualization
A FLIR ONE thermal camera (~8,000 THB) attaches to iPhone to reveal hot water pipes and electrical conduits through walls. Combined with as-built MEP drawings aligned to the RoomPlan mesh, this provides a complete picture of what is inside each wall before demolition.
Layer 3: Renovation Preview in AR
The proposed renovation design (exported as USDZ from SketchUp or Revit) is overlaid on the live camera feed. Walk through the space visualizing the renovation result — test furniture proportions, verify door swing clearances, check ceiling height compatibility — all before committing to construction.
Workflow and ROI
Owner scans with RoomPlan (20 minutes) → sends USDZ to contractor → contractor designs and exports USDZ → owner AR-previews and approves → construction begins with validated design. Eliminating post-construction revision rounds saves 15,000–30,000 THB in architect fees and 30,000–100,000 THB in construction mistakes.