House renovation scrapbook: before, during and after
Pick a fixed spot in each room and photograph from it before work starts, at each stage and when it is done. Keep swatches and plans in the book and receipts in a separate file.
Take the before photographs before anyone moves a thing. Once the skip arrives it is too late.
Choose one spot per room, usually a doorway, and stand there every time. Use the same zoom and height so the three photographs line up.
Receipts, quotes and guarantees are records you may need later. Give them a folder of their own and put only a photograph of the ones you want to show in the book.
Make the memory book together
Invite people to send photos and their own words, then choose what goes in the book.
Fixed spots and the stages between
List the stages your own work will pass through and photograph from the fixed spot when access is safe. Not every renovation follows the same sequence.
If a wall is already open and safe to photograph, record a wider view as well as details. Keep those photos as a record; they are not proof of a safe drilling location later.
- Record a fixed position on the plan, or mark it only where the site team agrees.
- Keep an edge of a window or door in every frame.
- Put the date in each file name.
Swatches, samples and plans
Paint swatches, tile offcuts and fabric samples show the choices made and the ones turned down. Keep the rejected ones on the same page as the winner.
Scan or photograph the plans. A floor plan at the front of each chapter tells a reader which room they are in.
- Write the paint name and finish under each swatch.
- Photograph heavy tile samples instead of mounting them.
- Keep the original drawings flat in the paperwork folder.
Receipts and paperwork stay separate
Invoices carry bank details, addresses and prices that do not belong in a book you show visitors. File them by room and date.
Electrical and gas certificates belong in the same folder, where you can find them when the house is sold.
The people and the mess
Include the builders if they agree, and the family living around the work. A kettle on a dust sheet says more about those months than the finished kitchen does.
Index the material references
Give each room a code and use it on photos, swatches and the separate paperwork folder. Record product name, finish and batch if available; a swatch alone may not identify a replacement later.
Pages to make
Before
Every room from its fixed spot, dated, with the floor plan drawn or scanned beside the photographs.
Opened up
Photograph exposed stages only from a safe, permitted position. Link the wide view and detail shots by room code and date; keep people clear of the work area.
Choices
Swatches and tile and fabric samples, with the chosen one marked and the paint names written beneath.
Side by side
Before and after from the same spot, printed the same size next to each other, with both dates underneath.
Questions
What should go in a house renovation scrapbook?
Before, during and after photographs from fixed spots, plans, swatches and samples, and the people involved. Receipts and certificates go in a separate file.
How do I take good before and after photos?
Stand in the same spot at the same height and zoom, with a window or door edge in frame. Take the before shot before anything is moved.
Should I keep receipts in the scrapbook?
No. They carry prices, addresses and bank details, and you may need them later. File them by room and date and photograph only the ones you want to show.