TV shows about renovations are seductive. We feel anxiety when seeing that home remodeled in an unimaginable way, providing a family reconnection with the new space. The tears at the end, the host-architect-contractor satisfied with the result, intact wooden floors, shiny appliances, and bathtubs ready to be used. It is no wonder that these programs are reaching an ever-increasing audience and, consequently, inspiring many transformations in other people's homes.
But if, on the one hand, they encourage viewers to change by showing the infinite possibilities of transforming and improving a space, on the other hand, they can reproduce misconceptions about architecture, especially concerning the conception and execution process.
Renovation shows portray design and construction as a linear, fast, and objective process. However, the reality is not quite like that. Those in the field know that each project portrayed in 40 minutes in real life takes an average of 6 months to complete. In other words, a lot has already happened before the first sledgehammer hit the wall. There were several meetings between the architect and the client to define the project, research on legislation, legal criteria for project approval, search for qualified labor, analysis of available materials, etc. These steps can result in other conditions that affect project design, leading to revisions and design changes.
