The deck has gone grey again, and you have meant to reseal it for two summers now. You might do it yourself over a long weekend, or you might pay someone. Either way, the job ends up scattered: a photo on your phone, and later a receipt in a kitchen drawer.

Today we are introducing projects in Zulma. A project is one page for one job at home. It holds the plan, the quotes, the payments and the photos, from the day you notice the problem to the day you file the last receipt.

Name it the way you would say it

Start with the question Zulma asks: what do you want done to this home? Type "Reseal the deck", the way you would say it out loud. Then say what needs doing, where it is, and anything a business should know. If it is easier to talk, record a voice note instead.

Pick the kind of work, how soon you want it done and how much it matters. A project with a date lines up on your home's plan. One without a date still sits there, after the ones that have one.

You can start a project before you have an account. Zulma asks you to sign up when you save it, and everything you entered comes with you.

Take the before photo now

Every project has room for how it looks now and how it looked after. Take the before photo today, because it is the only part of the job you cannot take later. The after can wait until the work is done.

Photos are shared without their location. A photo of the outside of your home can still show which house it is, so add one only if you are happy with that.

Doing it yourself, or getting help

Choose Doing it myself, and the project stays on your plan. Nobody is contacted. Choose Getting help, and businesses can quote on it. You can change your mind at any time.

Either way, you can note a budget, the number you are prepared to spend. Only you and the people you share your home with can see it. No business ever sees it, so nobody prices the job up to your number. You can also list what you will need to buy, with your own guess at each cost, or none at all. Zulma never fills that in for you.

Get quotes your way

When you are ready, press Publish. The first time, Zulma texts you a code to confirm your phone. Businesses never see that number.

Then choose how your project reaches the right people. You can use more than one way.

Send it to a business you know. Enter the email, phone number or Atlas page of the deck company your neighbour used. A business on Zulma gets your project in its inbox. Anyone else gets a message from you, never from Zulma.

Or share the link. Post it in your neighbourhood Facebook group or text it to a friend. Zulma never posts it for you.

Nearby businesses can see your project too, and up to three of them may send a quote. Soon, Zu, your helper in Zulma, will also pick up to three businesses near you that do this kind of work and send it to them for you.

What a business sees

Your project page shows exactly what a business will read: the name, the kind of work, your town, what needs doing, your photos, your voice note and how soon. It never shows your street, your name, your number or your budget.

Opening a quote shares nothing. A business gets your name, phone and email only when you reply to it, tap Share my contact, or accept its quote.

Every answer, side by side

Quotes arrive on the project, and each one reads the same way: the total with HST, what is included, when the business can start and when it will finish, the deposit, how long the price is good for, what it keeps if you cancel late, and how far the price may move. Some businesses offer to come and see the job first, and you pick the time.

Turn on Compare and the quotes line up side by side. They are never sorted by price, so the cheapest does not win just by being first.

You can message a business about its quote, but replying shares your name, phone and email with it, so write when you are ready to talk. If you changed the job after they priced it, tap Ask for a fresh quote. If a quote is not for you, tap No thanks: the business is told plainly, and nothing of yours is shared.

Got a price on paper or over the phone? Add it to the project and it lines up with the rest. Adding it sends nothing to that business. On the web, turn on AI reading and Zulma fills in what it can read from a photo of the quote, for you to check before you save.

Choose, then close it when you are ready

When you accept a quote, Zulma asks if you want to close the project so no more quotes come in. The other answers stay where they are. Your project stays open until you close it, whether that is next week or next spring, and you can reopen it whenever you like.

Keep what it cost, and who did it

Record each payment on the project as the money moves: what it was for, who you paid, the day you paid, what it cost, and the invoice or receipt. Each payment also shows up in your home's record, so the year's spending adds up without a second list.

If you hired someone you found yourself, add them under who is doing it, so you can tell later who said what. Zulma does not contact them. When the deck is done, add the after photo.

Its own folder in Documents

Every project gets its own folder in Documents, named after it. Its photos, the documents you add to it, and every invoice and receipt for the job are filed there for you. Three summers from now, when the deck needs another coat, the company's name and the price are in that folder.

Where to find it

Projects are part of Zulma at app.zulma.ca, which is free for up to 3 homes. Start one from your home, or from Atlas when you ask a business for a quote.