You're not the first to open up that wall
Real projects, told step by step and budget included, by homeowners and tradespeople alike. Enough to know what you're walking into before you buy the first bag of plaster.
You've just bought a home
You've just bought a home. Where do you start?
One house, fifteen ideas, and nobody around to say what to tackle first. Here, homeowners learning as they go and tradespeople showing their sites tell the whole story: the steps, the budget, and the times it went wrong. Start yours, ask when you get stuck, and show what you make.
Getting it wrong is part of the job
Try it, redo it, work it out as you go: that's how everyone here gets better. The only people who never make mistakes are the ones who never try — and nobody judges a second attempt.
What you make deserves to be seen
A room redone with your own hands, a piece of furniture brought back instead of binned: open your doors when you feel like it, and give the next person the nerve to start.
How it works
Start your first project
A room, a title, a few photos of how it looks today. Five minutes is enough.
Tell it as you go
A step every time something moves: the good surprise and the setback alike. That's what helps the next person — and what shows you how far you've come.
Show it, or keep it to yourself
You choose what stays private and what the network sees. Nothing goes out without you.
They started exactly where you are now
Real projects shared on the network, step by step, setbacks included.
Frequently asked questions
Where do you start when everything needs doing?
With the room you use most, or with whatever blocks the rest (wiring, flooring). Each job is its own project: create them all, start only one. And if you're torn, ask — other people have made the same call before you.
What order should the work go in?
Broadly: structure and services first (roof, wiring, plumbing), finishes after — otherwise you'll paint twice. The exact order depends on your house: look at comparable projects and ask the people who ran them.
How much should I budget for the first year?
Nobody can give you an honest figure without seeing the house. What actually helps is seeing real budgets on comparable projects, item by item — that's what the projects published here share.
Should everything be finished before moving in?
Rarely. Most people here get on with it while living there, room by room, starting where they sleep and cook. A project that stretches over two years is perfectly normal.
I know nothing about any of this. Is it really for me?
Especially for you. Most of the people sharing here learned on the job, got it wrong and started again. A beginner's question is the most ordinary thing on the network — and often the most useful to whoever comes next.
Do I have to show everything?
No. A project stays private until you publish it, and you pick every photo. Many people start in private, then publish the day there's something to show — including when tradespeople did the work.
What if I'd rather hire someone?
Plenty of projects here mix the two: you do what you can, you hand over the rest. Tradespeople publish their work step by step too — you see what they do before you pick up the phone, instead of a sales brochure.
You're not doing this on your own.
The start is when you have the most questions — and when you make the decisions that are hardest to undo. Ask yours before the first hammer blow: to people who have been there, and to tradespeople who do this all year round.
Showcase the work you've done.
Setting up your first project takes five minutes. For the rest, take all the time you need.
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