Home renovation is a "marathon"—spanning several months, with massive amounts of information, coordinating with designers, contractors, and various vendors, with countless details to follow up on at every stage.
If you try to cram everything into a single project, you'll quickly find yourself in a "task list explosion" situation: dozens or hundreds of tasks piled together, the progress bar stuck at a low percentage, feeling overwhelmed every time you open the project page.
With the FLO.W Notion Template, you can adopt a "sub-Area + multiple Projects" structure to manage your renovation: focus on one goal per phase, archive each as it's completed, maintaining control throughout while gaining a sense of accomplishment at the end of each stage.
Overall Approach to Renovation Management
Organize your renovation using the "Area + multiple Projects" structure:
| FLO.W Notion template Level | Corresponding Content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Area | The renovation as a whole | "2026 New Home Renovation" |
| Project | Each phase | Pre-construction, Construction, Materials Procurement, Furnishing, Move-in Preparation |
| Task | Specific to-dos for each phase | Sign contract, plumbing inspection, buy sofa... |
| Note | Renovation knowledge | Material comparisons, lessons learned, inspection standards |
| Clip | Renovation inspiration and guides | Pinterest ideas, product reviews |
Core concept: Treat "renovation" as a sub-Area that requires long-term management, with multiple phase-based projects underneath. Each project has a clear start and end, and once completed, it's archived to keep the system clean.
Moreover, this sub-Area's value extends beyond the renovation period. After moving in, you can rename it to "My Home" or "Home Maintenance" to continue managing home-related matters—appliance repairs, furniture updates, small improvement projects can all accumulate under this area.
Why Split Into Multiple Projects?
| Problems with a Single Project | Advantages of Multiple Projects |
|---|---|
| Task list becomes overwhelming | Each project focuses on one phase, tasks are clear and manageable |
| Too long a timeline, progress bar stuck at low percentage | Each phase can be completed independently, gaining a sense of accomplishment |
| Different phases involve different people, mixing them causes confusion | Each project has clear stakeholders |
| Difficult to review specific phases afterward | Each phase can be reviewed independently, lessons are more focused |
Step 1: Create a "Renovation" Sub-Area
Before breaking down projects, first create a sub-Area as your "renovation command center."
Go to the【Area】center and find your "Life" Area (or whichever Area you feel is appropriate)
Under that Area, create a new sub-Area named "2026 New Home Renovation"
In the sub-Area page description, you can write down the overall goals and budget range, for example:
- Budget: Under 300,000
- Style: Modern minimalist
- Expected timeline: 2026.3 - 2026.8
Step 2: Create Projects by Phase
Renovation has clear phase divisions. Create an independent project for each phase.
Recommended Project Breakdown
| Project Name | Main Content | Stakeholders | Estimated Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-construction | Select company, finalize design, sign contract | Designer, renovation company | 2-4 weeks |
| Construction | Demolition, plumbing, electrical, tiling, carpentry, painting | Contractors, supervisor | 6-12 weeks |
| Materials Procurement | Tiles, flooring, cabinets, doors and windows | Various brand vendors | Parallel with construction |
| Furnishing | Furniture, appliances, curtains, lighting | Furniture stores, appliance retailers | 2-4 weeks |
| Move-in Preparation | Final inspection, cleaning, air out, moving | Cleaning company, etc. | 2-4 weeks |
Go to the【Project】center from the top navigation bar
In the【Project Category - Life】view, click【New】
Enter the project name (e.g., "Renovation 01 - Pre-construction"), set【Project Type】to "Life"
Key step: Link the project's【Sub-Area】to the "2026 New Home Renovation" you just created
Set the【Schedule Date】, filling in the expected start and end dates for this phase
Create other phase projects the same way. Once completed, you can see a summary view of all renovation projects on the sub-Area page.
Step 3: Break Down Tasks Within Projects
Within each project, break down tasks as usual. Click on each phase below for task direction references:
Capture Renovation Knowledge with Notes
Throughout renovation, you'll accumulate a lot of reusable knowledge. This knowledge should be recorded as "Notes" rather than "Tasks"—because tasks get archived once complete, while knowledge needs long-term preservation and reuse.
Content Suitable for Notes
| Note Topic | Content Example | Reuse Value |
|---|---|---|
| Material Comparison | Tile brand comparison: Brand A vs Brand B vs Brand C | Help friends, use for future moves |
| Lessons Learned | Contract tips: how to handle change orders, payment terms | Avoid repeating mistakes |
| Inspection Standards | Plumbing inspection checklist | Reference for each inspection |
| Recommended Products | Renovation recommendations: choices that proved worthwhile after moving in | Share with friends |
| Vendor Information | Vendor contacts, warranty periods | Reference for future repairs |
Organize Renovation Knowledge with Topic Notes
Consider creating a topic note "Renovation Knowledge Base" as a main note, with various knowledge notes as sub-notes:
Renovation Knowledge Base (main note)
├── Material Comparisons
│ ├── Tile Brand Comparison
│ ├── Flooring Brand Comparison
│ └── Cabinet Brand Comparison
├── Lessons Learned
│ ├── Contract Tips
│ └── Communication with Contractors
├── Inspection Standards
│ ├── Plumbing Inspection Checklist
│ └── Tiling Inspection Checklist
└── Recommended Products
└── Worthwhile Choices After Moving InThese notes are linked to the "Life" Area, so even after renovation ends, the knowledge can still be found and reused in the Note center.
Collect Renovation Inspiration and Guides
During renovation, you'll collect lots of materials from various platforms. Use FLO.W Notion template's Information Hub to manage them centrally.
Content Suitable for Clipping
- Renovation cases: Style references from Pinterest, design blogs
- Material guides: Brand comparisons from review sites
- Inspection tutorials: Inspection videos from YouTube
- Vendor information: Vendor profiles from official sites and reviews
Link Clips to Projects
After installing FLO.W Notion template's web clipper plugin, you can save useful content with one click.
Clipped materials can be linked to corresponding projects, so relevant resources are at hand when making decisions at each phase:
| Clipped Content | Link to Which Project |
|---|---|
| Renovation company reviews, design cases | Pre-construction |
| Tile/flooring/cabinet guides | Materials Procurement |
| Furniture/appliance recommendations | Furnishing |
| Inspection standards, precautions | Move-in Preparation |
Track Overall Progress
Project-Level Progress
Each project's task completion automatically aggregates into a progress percentage. When a project reaches 100%, that phase is successfully complete.
Area-Level Progress
On the "2026 New Home Renovation" sub-Area page, you can see an overview of all linked projects' status:
| Project | Status |
|---|---|
| Renovation 01 - Pre-construction | ✅ Completed |
| Renovation 02 - Construction | 🔄 In Progress (75%) |
| Renovation 03 - Materials Procurement | 🔄 In Progress (60%) |
| Renovation 04 - Furnishing | ⏸️ Not Started |
| Renovation 05 - Move-in Preparation | ⏸️ Not Started |
This view gives you an at-a-glance understanding of overall renovation progress without opening each project.
Phase Completion and Project Archiving
After completing each phase, promptly archive the corresponding project. This is an important ritual for gaining a sense of accomplishment.
Confirm all tasks for that phase are complete, showing 100% progress
Write a brief phase review on the project page (optional but recommended):
- How much did this phase actually cost? How does it compare to budget?
- What lessons learned are worth remembering?
- What good decisions deserve a pat on the back?
Change the project status to【Completed】
Archived projects will disappear from the "In Progress" view, but all data is preserved. You can review completed projects anytime on the sub-Area page.
After All Renovation is Complete
When all projects are archived, renovation is officially complete. Congratulations! Do the final wrap-up to turn this renovation experience into a reusable asset.
1. Organize the Renovation Archive
Add some summary information to the "2026 New Home Renovation" sub-Area page:
- Total renovation cost: Write a simple table in the page content recording expenses by phase
- Key vendor contacts: Easy to find for future repairs
- Warranty period records: When construction and appliance warranties expire
2. Refine Knowledge Notes
Organize the scattered experiences recorded during renovation into structured notes:
- "Renovation Lessons Summary" — What would you do differently next time
- "Recommended Products List" — Choices that proved worthwhile after moving in
- "Renovation Cost Breakdown" — Very useful when helping friends
3. Create a Milestone (Optional)
If "new home renovation" is an important life event for you, you can create a milestone in the sub-Area to record this achievement.
Milestones are for recording moments worth remembering. "After six months, finally have my own place" — this kind of achievement deserves to be recorded.
4. Rename the Area, Start a New Chapter
Renovation is just the beginning of your new home. After moving in, you can rename the "2026 New Home Renovation" sub-Area to "My Home" or "Home Maintenance" to continue providing value:
Short term (first year after moving in):
- Handle remaining renovation issues
- Appliance and furniture warranty matters
- Add items discovered to be needed
Long-term maintenance:
- Seasonal maintenance projects (AC cleaning, heating maintenance, pipe cleaning)
- Partial renovation projects (new curtains, repainting, new lighting)
- Smart home upgrades
This way, the area transforms from a "temporary renovation archive" to a "long-term home management center." The renovation knowledge, vendor contacts, and inspection experience you've accumulated will continue to provide value in the future.
FAQ
Related Features
- Area Organization - Learn about creating and managing Areas and sub-Areas
- Project Management - Learn about complete project features
- Topic Notes - Organize knowledge with main notes + sub-notes
- Web Clipper - Collect renovation inspiration and guides
- FLO.W Template Version Comparison - Compare Basic, Pro, and Advanced versions
💬 Join the FLO.W Notion template User Community
Connect with 1000+ productivity enthusiasts to share tips and get inspired. Whether you're just starting out or a power user, you'll find like-minded people in the community.
