Renovating your home

Each job moves across one board, from quotes to done. Every receipt and warranty is kept, and you see what the work has cost.

You plan the work in one Magpie team for the house, with your partner. Tradespeople get your details and your messages, not your plans.

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The 14 Elm Road renovation board: jobs getting quotes, jobs booked with their due dates and To-dos, and the rewiring under way.

This combination of six Magpie areas fits a home renovation.

Kanban Boards
Kanban Boards follows each job, from quotes to done.
Contacts
Contacts keeps each tradesperson, with what you agreed.
Idea Boards
Idea Boards gathers the look, from tiles to taps.
Expenses
Expenses keeps each receipt, and totals what you have spent.
Secure Files
Secure Files keeps warranties and certificates, encrypted.
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets keeps the budget, room by room.

Each job moves across one board, from quotes to done.

Kanban Boards holds each job as a card, such as the rewiring and the kitchen. Each card has who is handling it, a due date and To-dos.

Quotes, photos and comments stay on the card. You find them when the plumber calls.

Boards and cards in Kanban Boards

Every tradesperson's details and what you agreed are in one place.

Contacts keeps each tradesperson, with tags such as Electrician and notes on what you agreed. A follow-up becomes a To-do, such as chasing a quote.

The follow-ups list shows who you are waiting to hear from.

History and follow-ups in Contacts

The tradespeople for 14 Elm Road in Contacts, each with tags for their trade, contact details, when they were last in touch and the next follow-up.

The look comes together on one board of ideas.

Idea Boards holds pictures, notes and links on a canvas, such as tiles and paint colours. You arrange them as you like.

A board exports as a PNG image or a PDF, to show the kitchen fitter.

Images and links in Idea Boards

Every receipt is kept, and you see what the work has cost.

Expenses keeps each payment with its receipt, from the builders' merchant to the electrician. Each one has a category, such as the kitchen.

Reports total what was spent by category or by tradesperson, for any dates. You can export them as CSV, with the receipts.

Expenses and receipts in Expenses

The 14 Elm Road expenses: payments to the electrician, the builders’ merchant, the kitchen company and a tile shop, each with its date, category and amount.

Warranties and certificates are kept safe for the next ten years.

Secure Files keeps the boiler's warranty, the electrical certificate and the plans, encrypted in your browser. Folders keep each room's papers together.

A secure link sends one file to someone, such as your insurer.

Encrypted storage in Secure Files

Hannah’s Secure Files open on the House papers folder: warranties, certificates, the plans and the kitchen order, each with its size and date.

The budget is kept room by room.

Spreadsheets keeps the budget, with a row for each job and formulas for what is left. Expenses can be exported as CSV to compare.

A filter view of your own shows one room at a time.

Formulas in Spreadsheets

Four more areas cover appliances, the calendar, papers and notes.

Asset Tracker
Asset Tracker records each appliance with its serial number and warranty date.
Calendar
Calendar holds when each trade is booked.
Documents
Documents holds the brief for each trade, to send as PDF.
Notes
Notes keeps paint colours, measurements and what the builder said.

A kitchen goes from the first quote to cooking in it again.

  1. The look

    The tiles and taps go on the idea board.

  2. The quotes

    Each fitter's quote goes on the kitchen's card.

  3. The work

    The card moves along as the trades come and go.

  4. The receipts

    Each payment goes in Expenses, with its receipt.

  5. The warranties

    The oven's warranty goes in Secure Files.

Setting up takes four steps.

  1. Make the renovation board

    You set its columns once. Help: Track work with Kanban boards.

  2. Add the trades you use

    Each one gets notes and follow-ups. Help: Keep notes and follow-ups on a contact.

  3. Add your first receipt

    A photo of it is enough. Help: Track expenses and receipts.

  4. Make a folder for the papers

    Each file is encrypted as it uploads. Help: Secure Files.

Plans

A house team on the free plan has places for 3 people. Tradespeople are not added to it.

Secure Files is on every plan, and your files are your own. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Prices are on the Pricing page

Other people working on a home have pages of their own.

Questions people renovating ask

Can we see every job in one place?

Yes. Each job is a card on the renovation board. It shows who is handling it and its due date. Columns show what is quoted, booked, under way and done.

Can we keep the quotes with each job?

Yes. A card keeps files, comments and To-dos. The kitchen's quotes stay on the kitchen's card.

Can we see how much we have spent?

Yes. Expenses totals what was spent by category or by tradesperson, for any dates. It exports as CSV, with the receipts.

Can we keep receipts on a phone?

Yes. A receipt can be a photo, saved as JPG with its expense. Receipts can also be uploaded first and filled in later.

Can we keep warranties for later?

Yes. Secure Files keeps them encrypted, in folders. Asset Tracker can also record each appliance's warranty end date.

Can we share the plans with our builder?

Yes. A document can be shared by a link anyone can read, or downloaded as a PDF. An idea board exports as an image or a PDF.

Can we remember who we are waiting on?

Yes. Each tradesperson can have a follow-up, which becomes a To-do on the day you choose.

Plan your renovation in Magpie.

Create a Magpie account and make a team for the house.

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