Community guides · Home Improvement
Before you reply in r/homedecorating — the rules nobody writes down
Reply in r/homedecorating and you're contributing to someone making a real decision about their home. Take the safety question seriously.
What's hot in r/homedecorating now
What people are actually discussing
Top threads from the last month — what's getting engagement right now.
What this sub rewards
How replies earn upvotes here
- Offer multiple options or perspectives, not a single prescription. Show 2 approaches at different skill / budget levels — pros do X, weekend warriors do Y.
- Flag safety considerations and when to defer to a professional. If your method could cause injury, fire, or code violation, say so before the steps. 'Call an electrician' is a respected answer.
- Acknowledge regional or cultural variation when relevant. Building code varies by jurisdiction. Specify what region your advice applies to.
What good looks like
Real comments that landed in r/homedecorating
Two recent highly-upvoted replies. Notice what they have in common — concrete, no preamble, no self-promotion.
"Whenever the before photo goes second I always imagine someone ripping out those beautiful green cabinets and replacing them with that mirror self combo Fantastic job, the space is completely transformed"
"The after photo is the one with the pink cabinets and all the color and texture, right? I need to know whether I should be charmed by this transformation, or outraged."
Your pre-reply checklist
Before you hit Reply — four quick checks
Does my comment add something specific, not just an opinion?
A useful reply names a number, a method, a personal experience, or a concrete example. If you could replace your draft with "I agree" and lose nothing, rewrite.
Have I read the top 3 comments already on this thread?
If the highest-upvoted reply already says what you were about to say, your comment will sink. Add what's missing — counterexamples, edge cases, the next step — not what's there.
Would my reply still work if my username was removed?
If it only makes sense because it promotes you, your product, or your platform, this sub will spot it. Frame the value as "this solved it for me," not "check out my…"
Did I skim the sidebar rules one more time?
Every sub has at least one rule that surprises outsiders — peer-review only, no images, no specific tags, no off-topic. Five seconds in the sidebar can save you a removal.
Want to draft this reply with the rules already baked in?
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