Images: Love It or List It / @brittandtaz / @thebuild_ravenswood / Clare Lancaster / @saltash__farm / Alana Landsberry / Holiday Home Makeover
There was a time when the only way to watch a renovation unfold was to tune into the telly each week. Reality renovation series made stars of ambitious homeowners and clever designers, with shows like The Block, Grand Designs and Love It or List It turning demolition days and dramatic reveals into addictive viewing.
Then came YouTube, where creators such as Three Birds Renovations proved that documenting the transformation of an ordinary house into a dream home could attract millions of views.
Fast forward to today and it feels as though every renovation requires its own content strategy. From kitchen demos and tile dilemmas to paint samples and final reveals, social media has turned renovating into a spectator sport. The urge to create our own reno content is real.
But have we reached peak renovation content? Has the ability to crowdsource opinions on everything from tapware to benchtops replaced the advice of qualified experts? And while sharing every step of the journey can build an engaged community – and perhaps even add appeal when it’s time to sell – are there downsides to putting your renovation on public display?
To find out, we spoke with three Australian content creators who have invited thousands of followers into their homes, sharing the wins, the setbacks and everything in between to discover why they hit ‘post’ in the first place – and whether they’d do it all again.
Why we can’t stop watching
Long before TikToks declaring ‘five kitchen choices I’d make again’ and Instagram polls deciding the fate of bathroom tiles, followers were hungry for more than the glossy final reveal – they wanted to follow renovations in real-time and feel part of the journey.
Former The Block contestants Kara and Kyal Demmrich have been documenting their projects for more than a decade, building an audience that has grown alongside their business. “We’d had so many viewers saying they loved watching us on The Block and wanted to see more of the renovation process (as opposed to the drama), so we began sharing progress on our social channels,” says Kara.
“We’ve always loved the engagement, the conversations and questions that sharing our work provokes,” she explains. Even more rewarding, Kara says, is “receiving photos and videos of renovations, builds and makeovers that people have achieved, that have been inspired by one of our homes”.
That sense of community is echoed by fellow The Block alumni Rachel and Ryan Carr, who have since starred in their own renovation series, going behind the scenes of their South Coast holiday home. They’re now sharing the process of building their forever home.
“For us, our renovations are a key part of our life. And we share our life online, so the renovations go hand in hand,” says Rachel. “It’s our passion, it’s what we love and what we’re excited by, so we share it in the hopes that others love it too.”
For fine art photographer and interior creative Kara Rosenlund, the joy isn’t just in revealing the finished home – it’s everything that comes before it. Having documented the transformation of both her former mid-century home and her current renovation, she’s seen firsthand how invested followers become.
“I think it’s actually the most exciting part to share,” she says. “The decisions, the vision and the hurdles. The process is the most rewarding part of the whole renovation.” Her audience, she says, “love it”. “They feel part of the progress, which is really special. They too might be in the middle of a renovation, or be thinking of changing their own home, so it’s inspiring and of interest to see someone else going on the journey.”
Perhaps that’s the real secret to renovation content’s enduring popularity. While beautiful ‘after’ photos may stop us scrolling, it’s the uncertainty, the decision-making and the promise of transformation that keeps people transfixed – particularly in times when we can’t all afford our own home makeovers.
When everyone has an opinion
Of course, inviting thousands of people into the renovation process means inviting thousands of opinions, too. A poll on paint colours can be a useful sounding board, but when the audience is made up of curious spectators rather than qualified experts, how do you separate helpful feedback from noise?
For Kara Demmrich, the key is knowing your own vision before asking others to weigh in. While she enjoys hearing what people think, she’s careful not to let the collective opinion steer the direction of a project.
“Most of the time when I’m asking for an opinion, I’m already pretty confident in my own decision,” she says. “It doesn’t confuse me, I’m more just generally curious what everyone else thinks.” In fact, she enjoys the challenge of taking people on the journey with her. “Sometimes I know that a decision I make won’t be the most popular, and I love winning people over once they see the full picture.”
That confidence is essential when sharing a renovation publicly, as it means exposing yourself to criticism. “You definitely open your decisions up to everyone’s opinion, which means you have to be confident in your own thought process,” says Kara. “Often people are making judgements on decisions you’ve made, without fully understanding the whole picture.”
Rachel Carr agrees that the ability to stay true to your own instincts is crucial. While she and husband Ryan enjoy involving their audience – sometimes even using followers as a tie-breaker – they know when to trust their own judgement.
“People who follow us know we love a third party weighing in to settle debates sometimes,” she jokes. “When we’re strong in our convictions about something and understand our reasoning for certain choices, other people’s opinions won’t sway us.”
That said, Rachel believes there are times when an outside perspective can be valuable. “Sometimes, in our business, decision fatigue is a real thing – and getting a large amount of opinions on things can help us clarify our thinking.”
The downside, she says, is that it requires a certain resilience. “I think you need to have a thick skin when you’re sharing anything about yourself publicly. You open yourself up to all types of opinions and sometimes they can be negative.” But for Rachel, authenticity is the best defence. “If we mess up, we own it. If we’re happy with our choices, the opinions of others don’t get to us.”
For Kara Rosenlund, hearing different perspectives is part of the joy of sharing her homes – even when the audience disagrees. “I’m always curious as to what they are thinking. I genuinely want to know their opinions,” she says. “I always have a clear vision as to what I’m doing and where I want to take the project, but I love hearing different thoughts. It doesn’t confuse me, I actually think it helps cement my decisions.”
That doesn’t mean her choices always win the popular vote. When she recently asked her audience for feedback on the tiling design for the entrance of her new gallery, she discovered the internet had very different ideas. “It went viral and everyone was with my father! Team Dad all the way,” she says. “My direction was very unpopular. My choices are generally very bold and unexpected. But I always stick to my vision.”
The positives of sharing the journey
For all the scrutiny that comes with putting a renovation online, it also has its upsides. Beyond the likes and comments, an engaged audience can create valuable connections and commercial opportunities.
For Kara Demmrich, the benefits of documenting renovations have extended far beyond simply sharing ideas. “There are so many pros and we’re incredibly grateful for everyone who has followed along our journey over the last 12years,” she says. “Having an audience has meant we’ve been able to partner with some dream brands. We’ve made lifelong friends and connections with people we originally met online.”
That audience can also become a valuable asset when a project reaches its final chapter. “The exposure has also helped us find buyers for projects we’re selling,” shares Kara. Her current Grand View project in Shelly Beach may also become an example of this, with the home set to come to market after followers have watched the transformation unfold. “It would be so amazing if our buyer was someone who was following the renovation from the beginning,” she says.
For Rachel Carr, sharing the process also creates a record of the journey – something that can be easy to lose sight of when living through the decisions and delays. “For us, it also serves as a reminder of the end result of what can be a pretty long journey,” she says.
Currently preparing for a major knockdown-rebuild while living in a small home with her family, she admits there are moments when she needs that reminder. “Sometimes, when I’m laying in my bed, which is currently in my living room, I’ll scroll back over past renovations we’ve completed to remind myself that it’s all worth it in the end.”
She also believes that documenting the quality and thought behind a renovation can have real value when it comes time to sell. “I believe it does help with resale. Especially when the quality of the build and design choices have been so heavily documented.”
Ultimately, perhaps the greatest appeal is that renovation content transforms a private project into a shared experience. As Kara Rosenlund puts it: “The most important thing is taking your audience on the journey with you. They love it.”
