Home visualization tool

1. A computerized method of creating, at an end-user device, a house visualization template for visualizing the interchange of various decorative features of a house, the method comprising:

displaying a first exterior image of a first house, wherein the first exterior image comprises a first photograph of the first house including various decorative features of the first house;

displaying a first set of decorative feature indications, wherein the first set of decorative feature indications comprise different selectable decorative features of a first type;

displaying a second set of decorative feature indications, wherein the second set of decorative feature indications comprise different selectable decorative features of a second type;

receiving an indication from a user input device of a selection of a particular indication within the first set of decorative feature indications, wherein the particular indication is associated with a first decorative feature; and

displaying, on a digital display, a second exterior image of the first house, wherein the second exterior image of the first house comprises the first photograph of the first house with the first decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph such that the first decorative feature replaces an original decorative feature within the first photograph

receiving another indication from the user input device of a selection of yet another indication within the second set of decorative feature indications, wherein the other indication is associated with a second decorative feature; and

displaying, on the digital display, a third exterior image of the first house;

wherein:

the third exterior image of the first house comprises the first photograph of the first house with the first decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph;

the first decorative feature replaces an original decorative feature within the first photograph and the second decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph; and

the second decorative feature replaces another original decorative feature within the first photograph.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the different selectable decorative features of the first type comprise a paint color.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein incorporating the first decorative feature into the first photograph comprise incorporating at least a portion of a photograph of the first decorative feature into the first photograph.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the different selectable decorative features of the second type comprise a decorative feature type selected from a group consisting of brick color, stone color, stain color, and shingle color.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein incorporating the second decorative feature into the first photograph comprises incorporating at least a portion of a photograph of the second decorative feature into the first photograph.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying exterior images of a plurality of different houses, wherein each exterior image comprises a photograph of a respective house; and

receiving an indication from a user input device selecting an exterior image of a particular house, wherein the exterior image of the particular house comprises the first exterior image of the first house.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising:

identifying permission characteristics of a user; and

based upon the permission characteristics, displaying to the user a specific subset of exterior images of houses, wherein the subset of exterior images comprises the plurality of different houses.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 , wherein:

the permission characteristics of the user are associated with a geographical area; and the subset of exterior images is defined by the plurality of different houses that are available within the geographical area.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein upon receiving the indication from a user input device of the selection of the particular indication within the first set of decorative feature indications, the second exterior image is automatically displayed.

10. A computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform a method of creating, at an end-user device, a house visualization template for visualizing the interchange of various decorative features of a house, the method comprising:

displaying a first exterior image of a first house, wherein the first exterior image comprises a first photograph of the first house including various decorative features of the first house;

displaying a first set of decorative feature indications, wherein the first set of decorative feature indications comprise different selectable decorative features of a first type;

displaying a second set of decorative feature indications, wherein the second set of decorative feature indications comprise different selectable decorative features of a second type;

receiving an indication from a user input device of a selection of a particular indication within the first set of decorative feature indications, wherein the particular indication is associated with a first decorative feature; and

displaying, on a digital display, a second exterior image of the first house, wherein the second exterior image of the first house comprises the first photograph of the first house with the first decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph such that the first decorative feature replaces an original decorative feature within the first photograph

receiving another indication from the user input device of a selection of yet another indication within the second set of decorative feature indications, wherein the other indication is associated with a second decorative feature; and

displaying, on the digital display, a third exterior image of the first house;

wherein:

the third exterior image of the first house comprises the first photograph of the first house with the first decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph;

the first decorative feature replaces an original decorative feature within the first photograph and the second decorative feature incorporated into the first photograph; and

the second decorative feature replaces another original decorative feature within the first photograph.

11. The computer program product as recited in claim 10 wherein the different selectable decorative features of the first type comprise a paint color.

12. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 , wherein incorporating the first decorative feature into the first photograph comprise incorporating at least a portion of a photograph of the first decorative feature into the first photograph.

13. The computer program product as recited in claim 11 , wherein the different selectable decorative features of the second type comprise a decorative feature type selected from a group consisting of brick color, stone color, stain color, and shingle color.

14. The computer program product as recited in claim 10 , wherein incorporating the second decorative feature into the first photograph comprise incorporating at least a portion of a photograph of the second decorative feature into the first photograph.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:

displaying exterior images of a plurality of different houses, wherein each exterior image comprises a photograph of a respective house; and

receiving an indication from a user input device selecting an exterior image of a particular house, wherein the exterior image of the particular house comprises the first exterior image of the first house.

16. At a remote computer of a computer system comprising the remote computer system, a customer computer system, one or more processors, system memory, and one or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions, the computer system configured to implement a computerized method for creating a house visualization template for visualizing the interchange of various decorative features of a house, the method comprising:

receiving at the remote computer from the customer computer a first exterior image of a first house, and the remote computer creating a set of first boundaries that define a first type of decorative feature of the first house;

receiving a first set of decorative images that depict various different instances of the first type of decorative feature;

generating from each of the decorative images corresponding first decorative feature masks to be used in connection with one or more user selectable indications, such that, upon user selection of an indication at the customer computer, the decorative feature masks are placed over an area encompassed by the set of first boundaries;

sending display instructions to the customer computer, the display instructions instructing display of the first house in connection with (i) a first set of decorative feature indications comprising different selectable decorative features of a first type, and (ii) a second set of decorative feature indications comprising different selectable decorative features of a second type;

receiving from the customer computer a user selection of a particular indication to display a decorative feature of the first type of decorative feature; and

sending display instructions to the customer computer to display a second exterior image of the first house, wherein the second exterior image of the first house comprises the first photograph of the first house such that the first decorative feature replaces an original decorative feature within the first photograph;

receiving another indication from the user input device of a selection of yet another indication within the second set of decorative feature indications, wherein the other indication is associated with a second decorative feature; and

sending display instructions to the customer computer to display a third exterior image of the first house, wherein the third exterior image of the first house displays the first photograph showing (i) the first decorative feature, as well as (ii) the second decorative feature in place of another original decorative feature within the first photograph.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first exterior image of the first house comprises a photograph.

18. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the various decorative features comprise a particular shingle color, a particular siding color, a particular brick color, and a particular stone color.

19. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein:

the set of first boundaries comprise multiple distinct regions that comprise the first type of decorative feature; and

at least one of the first decorative feature masks is configured to overlay all of the multiple distinct regions.

20. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second exterior image of a second house that is structurally different than the first house, wherein the second exterior image depicts various decorative features of the second house;

creating a set of second boundaries that define the first type of decorative feature of the second house;

generating from each of the decorative images respective second decorative feature masks;

wherein:

the second decorative feature masks are configured to selectively overlay an area encompassed by the set of second boundaries; and

the second exterior image of the second house is selectively displayable with any of the instances of the first type of decorative features within the first set of decorative images.

21. The system as recited in claim 20 , wherein the method further comprises:

creating a set of third boundaries that define a second type of decorative feature of the first house;

receiving a second set of decorative images that depict various different instances of the second type of decorative feature, wherein the decorative images comprise photographs of various different instances of the second type of decorative feature;

generating from each of the decorative images of the second set of decorative images respective third decorative feature masks;

wherein the third decorative feature masks are configured to selectively overlay an area encompassed by the set of third boundaries, such that the first exterior image of the first house is selectively displayable with any of the instances of the second type of decorative features within the second set of decorative images.

22. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first decorative feature masks are configured to maintain the three-dimensional visual aspects of area encompassed by the first boundaries.

23. The system as recited in claim 22 , wherein a portion of at least one of the decorative images within the first set of decorative images is reused multiple times within at least one of the first decorative feature masks.

24. The system as recited in claim 22 , wherein each of the first set of decorative images comprises photographs of a respective type of brick and each of the first decorative feature masks consist of one or more portions of respective images within the first set of decorative images.