In short: the four questions
A renovation progress report has to answer four questions: what was done in the period in each area, what comes next, which decisions are needed from you and by when, and where the budget and programme stand. If any answer is missing, the report shrinks to 'all going well', which you cannot act on.
The frequency is agreed per project, usually weekly, and more often when concealed work is being closed up or large deliveries arrive. The format can be simple: an email or a message with photos. Structure matters more than length.
What is done: by area, with photos
Work done is described room by room, not as one general list. The Urgel flat in the Eixample, 109.80 m², has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open kitchen and living room, and a corridor. In a report for a flat like that, each area gets its own line: bathroom 1, waterproofing laid and water test passed; kitchen, wiring run, waiting for plaster.
Partly finished items are flagged separately. Tiling that is 80% laid looks nearly done, but without grout, sealant and sanitaryware it is not yet a result. Each area comes with photos, and concealed work with photos taken before it is closed, markings visible.
What is next: plan and deliveries
The second part is the plan for the next one or two weeks: which work starts, which finishes, which deliveries are due. That lets you see in advance when you should be on site, for example to check concealed work or approve samples.
Dependencies belong here too. If the kitchen units are on order and the walls are not yet plastered, the report shows when the final measurement will happen and when the factory will start production. If a delivery slips, that is reported straight away, together with what it changes in the programme.
Your decisions: with options and a deadline
The most useful part of the report is the list of things you need to decide. For each: what it is about, the options, the consequences of each and the deadline after which the decision starts holding up work. For example: 'Grout colour in bathroom 2, two options in the photos, answer needed by Thursday or the tiler moves to another job.'
Questions the crew resolves on its own stay off this list so you are not overloaded. A list of context-free questions slows a renovation as much as missing information: you cannot tell what is urgent and what can wait.
Money, changes and risks
The budget section shows three things separately: the agreed quote, approved changes with their price, and changes under discussion that are not yet approved. They must not be mixed, or by the end nobody remembers where the difference came from.
On a separate line go the risks: what turned up on opening that was not visible at the survey, and what it might mean for cost and time. On our projects payment is staged under the contract, and the report shows which stage is closed and what remains before the next. That way you pay for what you can see is done.
If you are far from Barcelona
If you are managing a renovation while living in another country or city, the report becomes your main way of seeing the site. A single person in charge writes in Russian or Spanish, so questions do not get lost between the crew, subcontractors and you.
Agree three things at the start: the day of the week for the report, the channel, and how urgent messages needing a same-day answer are handled. And ask for every report to include a link to the photo folder by area. After a month you will have a full picture of the works even if you have never set foot on site.