One Renovation, 12 Photos, 12 Sentences: A Portfolio Template

How to write a renovation project portfolio: a fixed template of 12 photos and 12 sentences per finished job, with a worked example and the rules on captions.

By the Miriad team, drafted with AI assistance and checked against the linked sources. Examples marked illustrative are not real cases. Updated 2026-10-21.

TL;DR: Write every finished renovation up the same way: twelve photos in a fixed order, one plain sentence under each, and a short scope line at the end. The fixed order makes each project quick to write and easy to compare. AI can draft the sentences from your notes; you check every one against the real job and the client's consent.

You finished a kitchen three weeks ago. The client is happy, the photos are on your phone, and the project page is on your list for "when things calm down". Six months later there are nine finished jobs on that list and the website still shows the same three projects from two years ago. The problem is rarely photos or skill. It is that every write-up starts from a blank page. A fixed template removes the blank page. This article is part of our guide to remodeling and interior design marketing with AI.

Why does a renovation portfolio need a fixed structure?

Because a fixed structure turns each write-up into filling in twelve slots instead of writing an essay, and it lets a visitor compare projects at a glance. When every page runs from the starting point to the finished room in the same order, the homeowner learns where to look for what they care about.

It also makes you take the right photos. If the template asks for the old room from the same angle as the finished one, someone on site has to take that picture before the strip-out. If it asks for what was found behind the walls, someone photographs the old wiring before the plasterboard goes up. Over a few jobs the photo routine becomes habit, and the write-up takes an hour instead of a week.

The starting point deserves more attention than most portfolios give it. Many homes being renovated are old: in a Houzz survey of its users in the UK, 53% of renovating homeowners lived in homes built in 1940 or earlier (Houzz UK, 2025). Old homes come with constraints, such as uneven walls, odd room shapes and hidden services, and showing how you handled them tells a homeowner more than a glossy final shot.

The 12-photo, 12-sentence template

Each project gets twelve photos in the order below, each with one sentence that follows a set pattern. The first three show the starting point, the middle six show decisions and work, and the last three show the result and the facts. Keep each sentence under about twenty words, written in plain language.

Photo What it shows Sentence pattern
1 Context: the room or home from outside the work area, no address visible This was a (room) in a (decade) (house or flat), used by (who).
2 Before: the main problem Before: (the problem in one clause).
3 Before: the constraint (Constraint) meant we could not simply (obvious fix).
4 Floor plan or sketch We (moved or kept) (element) so that (benefit).
5 Strip-out Strip-out showed (finding), which changed (what).
6 Hidden work: services or structure Behind the walls: (new wiring, pipework, insulation).
7 Key material selection (Material), chosen for (reason); the trade-off was (trade-off).
8 Craft detail: joinery, tiling, edges (Detail), done by (method).
9 Problem solved during the build (Issue) came up; we solved it by (solution).
10 After: same angle as photo 2 After: (the result in one clause).
11 After: the room in daily use (Who) now (does what) here.
12 Scope and facts Scope: (trades). Duration: (weeks). Size band: (small, moderate or large).

Photos 2 and 10 matter most: the same angle, the same height, ideally the same lens. That pair is what most visitors look at first, and it is the pair most firms forget to plan.

Example: one kitchen written up with the template

Example (illustrative, not a real case): An eight-person renovation firm in Hungary, working as a general contractor (generálkivitelező), writes up a kitchen in a 1970s block of flats. The office manager pastes the photo notes and the headings of the itemized estimate into an AI assistant and asks for one sentence per photo, following the patterns. The owner then corrects the draft against the job file. The final twelve lines:

  1. This was a closed kitchen in a 1970s block of flats, used by a couple who both work from home.
  2. Before: a narrow galley kitchen with no daylight and one worktop by the cooker.
  3. The concrete load-bearing wall meant we could not simply knock through to the living room.
  4. We kept the wall, widened the existing doorway and moved the sink under the window.
  5. Strip-out showed tiles laid over two older layers, which added two days of removal.
  6. Behind the walls: new wiring on its own circuit for the induction hob and oven.
  7. Matt oak-effect fronts, chosen to hide fingerprints; the trade-off was a narrower colour choice.
  8. Tiles cut around the window reveal, set out from the centre line so the cuts are even.
  9. The floor dropped by a centimetre across the room; we levelled it before the units went in.
  10. After: an open, daylit kitchen with a run of worktop on both sides.
  11. The couple now cook together and take calls at the new breakfast bar.
  12. Scope: strip-out, electrics, plastering, tiling, kitchen units, painting. Duration: five weeks. Size band: moderate.

The owner added the real scope from the estimate headings, the five weeks from the schedule and the client's written consent to publish, and removed the AI's suggested line about the client being "delighted", because the client never said it.

How can AI draft the captions, and what must you check?

AI is good at turning rough notes into twelve consistent sentences that follow the patterns. It does not know what happened on site. Check every sentence against the job file, delete anything you cannot show in the photo, and never let the draft add client quotes, praise or results that nobody actually said.

Give the assistant three inputs: your photo notes in order, the headings of the itemized estimate or scope of work, and the duration from the schedule. Ask it to follow the twelve patterns and to write "(missing)" where the notes do not cover a slot. That gap list is useful in itself, because it tells you which photo to take on the next job.

Invented praise is a legal issue, not only a style issue. In the US, the FTC's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, explicitly including AI-generated ones, and undisclosed reviews by insiders (FTC, 2024). In Hungary, the consumer protection act's blacklist forbids claiming that reviews come from real customers without reasonable checks, and forbids submitting or commissioning fake consumer reviews (Fttv. annex, points 34–35). A caption that quotes the client is a testimonial. Use only words the client actually wrote, with their agreement.

What goes around the twelve photos on the project page?

Add a short heading with the room type and area, a two-sentence summary of the brief, the twelve photos with their captions, and a closing block with the scope, a link to reviews and a way to get in touch. Add licence details where your local rules require them, and keep the client's address out of text and file names.

Reviews belong next to the work they describe. Customers of trades read reviews closely: in BrightLocal's 2025 survey of 1,026 US consumers, 48% read the review summary first and 42% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal, 2025). A link from each project page to your review profile, or a real review from that client with their permission, connects the proof to the claim.

A short checklist before publishing:

  • Written consent from the client for photos and any quote
  • No house number, street sign or car plate visible
  • Scope and duration match the job file
  • Photos 2 and 10 taken from the same angle
  • Licence or registration details where required
  • Date of completion on the page

If you write project pages for a search-led site, home remodeling SEO company or in-house explains who should own this work. For renders that sit on the same page before the build, see describing a design render so the client can say yes.

If you want your portfolio to look and sound like one firm across every page, with photo, colour and voice rules written down, our Brand Identity Prompt Pack is in preparation. Get notified when it launches. For the wider marketing plan, return to the complete guide.

FAQ

How many photos should a renovation project page have?

Twelve is enough to tell the story without padding: three for the starting point, six for decisions and work, and three for the result and the facts. Fewer photos usually skip the hidden work and the problems solved, which are what convince a careful homeowner. More photos tend to repeat the finished room from slightly different angles.

Do I need the client's permission to post renovation photos?

Get written consent before publishing, even if the photos show no people. The photos show the inside of someone's home, and a visitor may recognise it. Ask at contract stage whether the client agrees to anonymous photos, and confirm again at handover. Keep the address, house number and anything identifying out of the captions and file names.

Can I write the project description with ChatGPT or another AI assistant?

Yes, as a draft. Give it your photo notes, the scope of work and the duration, and ask for one sentence per photo following a fixed pattern. Then check each line against the job, remove anything you cannot show, and delete any praise or client quote that the client did not actually write. The final text is your responsibility.

What if I forgot to take before photos?

Use what you have and note the gap. A floor plan of the old layout, an estate agent's photo the client shares with permission, or a photo of the strip-out can stand in for photo 2. Then change the routine: make the before photo the first task on every site visit, taken from a marked spot so the after photo can match it.

Sources

Related articles

Products from Miriad

BrandBrand Identity Prompt Pack

Build a brand system with Claude or ChatGPT, one decision at a time

29 USD

Get notified

See all prompt packs