Penny Andrews
What our early customers taught us about how homeowners really renovate
Last updated: August 1, 2026
Before we started building Reno, we spent months analysing market research data on what and how people renovated their homes, and carefully mapped out our product roadmap based on the findings. Bathrooms consistently came out as one of the most commonly renovated rooms, so that was where we started.
The plan was to build the very best bathroom renovation planning experience we could, before gradually expanding into kitchens, bedrooms and eventually the rest of the home. It seemed like a sensible roadmap. Then people started using it.
A roadmap meets reality
Almost immediately, we began getting feedback that completely blew that roadmap out of the water. Someone adding a new ensuite bathroom didn't just need to design the bathroom - they needed to show the existing bedroom, plan the structural changes to create the new room, redesign the bedroom layout to make the new space work, and think about how the plumbing, heating, electrics and lighting would all work together.
Another homeowner needed to plan the relocation of their boiler and laundry appliances, because they needed to make their bathroom work harder for them in their small apartment. Others needed bespoke cabinetry, flooring, wall panelling and products we'd never imagined would be needed for a bathroom project.
At first, these felt like one-off feature requests. But as more customers told us similar stories, we realised we needed to adapt our roadmap - prioritising support across the whole home over going deeper into individual rooms.
It wasn't the research that was wrong
Looking back, I think they were actually the first clues that we were seeing something much bigger. It wasn't that our research was wrong - bathrooms really are one of the most commonly renovated rooms. What we'd underestimated was the context around them.
For many homeowners, the bathroom alone - the sanitaryware, the brassware, the tiling - wasn't the project. It was just one part of a broader project.
“It was only after years of observing thousands of renovation projects that we realised those conversations weren't exceptions - they were revealing how homeowners naturally plan their renovations when they're given the right tools.”
Understanding the wider context
I'm incredibly grateful our customers took the time to tell us what they were actually trying to achieve, rather than simply asking for another feature or furniture item.
It makes me wonder how many opportunities exist - not just for software companies like Reno, but across our industry as a whole - when we spend a little more time understanding the wider context of what customers are trying to achieve, rather than focusing only on the product they've come to buy.
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