Instagram vs. Real Life: Look closer at the pictures

Instagram has changed the renovation industry. Scroll for five minutes and you'll see beautiful bathrooms, perfect kitchens, dramatic before-and-afters, and finished spaces that look incredible in a photo.

And honestly, some of them are incredible.

But after spending enough years in construction, you start noticing something: a good photo can hide a lot.

It Looks Great... Until You Look Closer

We've come across plenty of renovation photos online that look great at first glance. Nice tile, new vanity, glass shower, modern fixtures, good lighting. To the average person scrolling Instagram, it looks like a beautiful renovation.

But zoom in, or look at the same work in person, and a trained eye starts noticing things. Grout joints that don't line up. Tile layouts that weren't properly planned. Huge beads of white silicone trying to hide bad cuts in shower corners. Outlets and switches awkwardly positioned. Trim details that don't quite meet properly. Uneven reveals. Transitions that look like they were figured out after the fact.

Most homeowners aren't necessarily going to notice those things in an Instagram photo. But they'll notice them when they live with them every day.

The Camera Is Very Forgiving

That's the interesting thing about social media. A finished bathroom photographed from six feet away can look fantastic.

Instagram doesn't show you what happens when you stand two feet from the shower. It doesn't show whether the floor is flat. It doesn't tell you what's behind the tile or how the waterproofing was done. It doesn't show whether the layout was properly planned before anyone started cutting.

And it definitely doesn't tell you what that renovation is going to look like five years from now.

That's why photos are useful when choosing a contractor, but they shouldn't be the entire decision.

"The Other Guy Is Considerably Cheaper..."

We hear this sometimes. Another contractor came in considerably cheaper, and they can also start next week.

Could they be a great contractor who simply operates differently? Absolutely. Price alone doesn't determine quality, and being busy doesn't automatically make someone good.

But when two quotes are dramatically different, it's worth looking a little deeper before assuming they're offering the same thing.

What exactly is included? How are they preparing the space? What materials are being used behind the finishes? Who's doing the work? How are the details handled? How much planning happens before construction begins? What happens when something goes wrong?

And most importantly, look closely at the work.

Look at the Boring Stuff

Everyone looks at the beautiful vanity. Look at where the tile meets the wall.

Everyone looks at the kitchen cabinets. Look at the fillers, panels, trim and reveals.

Everyone looks at the shower. Look at the corners, grout lines, niches and transitions.

Everyone looks at the beautiful new flooring. Look at what happens around the doors, stairs and adjoining rooms.

The little details usually tell you much more about the quality of a renovation than the big picture does. Those are the areas where patience, planning and craftsmanship really show up.

There Is More to a Quote Than the Number at the Bottom

This is where comparing renovation quotes becomes difficult. Two contractors can technically quote the "same renovation" while proposing two very different projects.

There can be different preparation, different materials, different trades, different processes, different levels of supervision, different timelines, and completely different standards for what is considered finished.

None of that fits nicely into an Instagram post, but all of it affects the final product.

Look Past the Instagram Photo

Social media is a great place to start when researching contractors. We use it too. It's an opportunity to see someone's style, previous projects, personality and the type of work they do.

Just don't stop there.

Look closer, ask questions, read the scope, look at multiple projects, and understand what you're actually getting for the number you've been quoted.

Because when one contractor is considerably cheaper and can start next week, that doesn't automatically mean something is wrong. But it's probably worth asking why.

A beautiful photo lasts a few seconds on Instagram.

A renovation has to look good in real life for years.