scene: you’re not happy with your home, the space, the size, whatever. It isn’t working, you want to reno.

you approach a new design startup and they say: 

rather than major changes to your space ($$$) you’d be better served optimizing friction points and aligning your behavior to fit.

what’s your response?

aspiring everything. architect. building /buildings. icbk.me/huugo.fc

1. Ask if they can put a $ on what the behavior optimization. 
2. If no, ask them how do they know which option is better.
3. If yes, compare that price towards moving, reno, or finding someone else.

that is quite the self-insight

what do you think would make you stick with it? I realize this is entirely hypothetical, but if the wins were frequent enough and approachable enough and you felt the change? 

Or maybe it’s like tinder, and the best eventual conclusion is deleting it. 

— move to a new house: this is the anti-win that motivates me to some extent. I feel (and I’m generalizing) that doing this sometimes only trades certain frictions for others.

I’d sit with the idea if the behaviors are net positive long-term and make decision based on that. 

It’s likely that I’d fail and cancel the subscription after months of paying and not actually benefiting from it. 

Then, 1 yr in, I’d get into an argument about how bad an idea it all was and just move to a new house. 

After further introspection, and mounting debt, I realize I could have worked if I had properly committed to the changes.

you pay a low monthly fee and get an injection of design thinking to help you/them identify these issues and propose changes. It’s continual introspection, growth, and, as they swear, improvement. it’s a lifestyle commitment. 

you push, ofc, and the response is we’ve generally seen savings of 60-80% compared to the cost of a gut renovation inclusive of design, permitting, and construction. 

even with a total reno, will it still work for you 5 years later?


…as I write this, these things are not apples to apple — there are pros to a gut reno that can never be accomplished any other way. But for arguments sake not everyone needs the gut…