Photos of your renovation or that new home you're building before, during and after construction can be used to improve communications and resolve disputes with contractors and architects. Use Google's free Picasa software to edit and organize them.

Renovations and constructing a new house are major lifetime events. We think that it makes good sense to take photos of your home before, during and after construction. Photos will convey what you have really done and give contractors, architects, friends and neighbors a sense of the transformation.

Where to Start- take lots of photos
Start by taking photos of the inside and outside of your existing home. On the outside take photos of the front, sides and back. Also don't forget the chimney and stake out where the property lines are if you can.

We actually took photos of the house when it was being framed and even when the plumbing, HVAC, gas and electrical lines went in. Keep in mind that once that drywall goes up, no one will be able to tell you where that pipe or wire is anymore. If you run into problems, you have your photos to help you and your contractors solve them.

Besides enjoying the before and after photos when you are all done, there are many practical reasons to take as many photos as you can.

Taking photos actually memorializes a problem or existing condition. So it can be used to resolve issues and disputes. This is especially true if someone damaged something during the construction.



Architects, design-build firms, and contractors will especially appreciate photos of other houses or features that you like. Communicating ideas and your desires is especially a problem when designing a architectural plan or renovating. A photo like the one above really conveyed the type of roof gable that we wanted. Can you imagine trying to describe that?

What you'll need to edit and organize your photos
You're going to be taking many photos. By far the easiest program to organize and edit those photos is Google's Picasa software. It is absolutely free. We used during our renovation and continue to. You can even save your photos on a web folder Google provides and share them with a few people or everyone.

Any digital camera will do.

You can do much more on Millennial Living. Upload your photos, find a contractor, and share your expertise if you are an expert. Learn more.