A simple selection log for your renovation

One row for each decision

Before anything is ordered, everyone involved needs a shared way to identify the exact item and to see whether the choice is final. A selection log does that. It does not replace a contract, purchase order, professional specification or an agreed change process; it makes it easier to see what is being considered, what is confirmed and what still needs an answer.

• Room and item (for example, "primary bath, floor tile")
• Manufacturer or supplier
• Exact product name, model or identifier
• Finish, color name and size where relevant
• Link to the current product page or specification sheet
• Sample status: none, requested, seen, kept

A screenshot or sample photo can support a row, but it should not be the only way to identify a product. Keep the difference between a sample and an ordered item visible, and the difference between the look you prefer and confirmation that the product suits its intended use. Suitability is a question for the appropriate professional and the product documentation.

Exact identification also helps later. New York General Business Law §771 sets requirements for written home improvement contracts; read the statute or ask the DCWP or the county consumer affairs office. If your log already names the item precisely, you can check the proposal and contract against it.

Use clear status labels

A simple draft workflow might use:

1. Considering
2. Selected for review
3. Approved for the project
4. Ordered
5. Received

These are suggested labels for your own record, not a description of any company's purchasing process. Decide who may move an item from one status to the next, and which separate records govern purchases.

"Selected for review" is the useful middle step. It lets you state a preference without pretending that dimensions, compatibility, availability or the rest of the scope have been confirmed.

Keep questions next to the selection

Instead of scattering questions across several message threads, attach them to the row they belong to:

• Which finish is shown in the sample, and is it the finish on the proposed order?
• Is the quoted item the exact size and configuration shown in the current plan?
• Is matching trim or an accessory part of this selection or a separate line?
• Which care instructions apply to this exact product and finish?
• Who confirms availability, and where will the answer be recorded?

These questions identify missing information. They are not a sign that every product needs the same accessories or that a supplier can meet a particular date. For an example of product-specific care questions, see kitchen countertops: compare care before color; for wet-area materials, see bathroom materials and layout.

A selection log is not a change order

The log tracks what has been chosen for each item. It is not the document that changes a contract. For how changes to a home improvement contract are made, read New York General Business Law §771 or ask the DCWP or the county consumer affairs office. How to compare remodeling estimates explains what a written change order should record.

If a selection changes after a contract is signed, mark the row "change-order question open" and resolve the price, scope and schedule effects through that separate written process. An entry in a spreadsheet should not be treated as authorizing a purchase or changing an agreement unless the agreed process says so.

Keep the history instead of overwriting it

When a choice changes, keep the previous selection visible and mark it superseded. Record the new selection, who asked for the change, the date and any open effect on the order or the schedule.

Do not silently replace a product link and assume everyone has seen the update. A short history column, or a second tab for superseded rows, is enough. Before a planning meeting, highlight only the rows that need a decision.

Review the room, not only the product

Several selections in one room have to work together. Review the current cabinet, countertop, flooring, tile and wall-finish rows side by side, rather than assuming separately saved pictures describe one consistent design. Ask which choices must be settled before another can be finalized, without treating the log as an installation sequence. In a kitchen, layout and storage planning explains why cabinets and appliances are usually settled before countertops.

Name who reviews each choice, and separate the person expressing a design preference from the person authorized to approve an order. A plain table that is kept up to date is more useful than an elaborate dashboard nobody maintains. The planned kitchen scope is on the kitchen remodeling page.