How to organise owner visits during a restoration

During a restoration that lasts months, owners want to see their car, and some decisions can only be taken in front of it. Plan visits at milestones rather than whenever the owner passes by: after strip-down, before paint, before final assembly and at handover. Prepare each visit with the decisions you need — repairs found, colours, trim, options — and the photos of work that will soon be hidden. Between visits, send short photo updates so the owner follows the project without interrupting it.

Before the owner comes, list the decisions you need and the options with their prices. Lay out the parts to discuss, put samples on the bench, and have the photos and invoices since the last visit ready. A visit that ends with clear decisions keeps the project moving; a visit that's only a look around costs you time without moving anything forward.

Much of a good restoration ends up out of sight: welded repairs, cavity protection, rebuilt mechanical parts. Show them in person when you can and photograph them when you can't. Owners who saw the work understand the bill, and the photos add to the car's history when it's sold.

Seeing the car stripped can change an owner's plans: a different colour, an extra repair, a cheaper option. Write down each change with its effect on cost and time, and ask for agreement before you start it. A short record per visit avoids arguments at the end of a long project.

A workshop has lifts, welding, grinders, chemicals and other customers' cars. Receive owners at a set time, keep them away from work in progress, and agree whether they can bring guests or children. Visits by appointment let you stop work safely and give the owner your attention.

Some owners want to take part: cleaning parts, sourcing trim, attending a test. Agree what they can do, when and how, and keep safety and insurance in mind. A clear framework keeps their enthusiasm useful.

For an owner who can't travel easily, replace some visits with a video call from the workshop, phone in hand, walking round the car. Keep in-person visits for the colour choice and the handover, where seeing the car matters most.

Plan enough time for a full walk-round, a test drive together, the history file with photos and invoices, and advice on running-in, storage and the first service. A rushed handover after months of work leaves the owner with questions; a calm one ends the project well.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page. Create a "Restoration progress visit" service and, at each milestone, open a slot and book the owner into it yourself from your calendar, with the stage and the decisions to take in the booking note. Add their email so they receive a confirmation with a calendar file containing the note. If you prefer owners to pick a time, open a few visit slots per week and let them book from your public page.

Here visits are priced at €0 because they are part of the project; set your own durations and prices. If a stage slips and a visit must move, reschedule it from your bookings list and tell the owner yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.