01
Scoping the real job
Separate want-to-haves from load-bearing decisions. The scope doc that prevents 90% of change orders.
Free Training Guide · 2025 Edition
Renovate like a pro.
Save thousands.
A no-nonsense field guide from contractors, designers, and homeowners who've been there. Learn how to plan, budget, hire, and build — without getting taken for a ride.
- The 7-step renovation roadmap (used by actual GCs)
- Budget templates that actually hold up to reality
- How to vet a contractor in 12 questions
$12k
Average savings per project for guide readers
120+
Pages of checklists, scripts, and templates
27 yrs
Combined trade experience on the authoring team
4.9★
From 12,400+ homeowners who've used it
What you're getting
A contractor's playbook, written for homeowners.
We asked 40 general contractors, designers, and project managers the same question: "If your best friend was about to renovate, what would you tell them?" Then we wrote it all down. Every scope trick, every budget trap, every negotiation line.
No fluff. No affiliate links. No "luxury lifestyle" filler. Just the moves that save real money on real projects.
Claim your copyInside the guide
Nine chapters. Zero guesswork.
Every chapter ends with a one-page checklist you can bring to the job site.
02
Budgeting that survives reality
The 15/20/65 rule, how to price the unknowns, and where the hidden costs actually live.
03
Hiring a contractor (without getting burned)
12 questions to ask on the first call. How to read a bid. The three red flags that aren't obvious.
04
Permits & inspections, demystified
When you need them, when you don't, and how to talk to your building department.
05
Kitchens, bathrooms, additions
Per-project playbooks with realistic cost ranges and sequencing that keeps your house livable.
06
Materials: what's worth it, what isn't
Where to splurge, where to save, and the mid-tier picks pros actually buy for their own homes.
07
Running the job
Weekly rhythms, punch lists, and how to hold a contractor accountable without blowing up the relationship.
08
DIY vs. hire-it-out
An honest decision matrix — skill, time, risk, resale — for 30 common projects.
09
The closeout
Final walkthrough scripts, lien waivers, warranty tracking, and the one email you send 90 days later.
From the readers
Real projects. Real receipts.
"Used the bid template on three contractor quotes for our kitchen. Saved $18,400 and ended up with the crew I actually liked best."
"The chapter on permits alone was worth it. I walked into my building department knowing exactly what to ask for."
"I've renovated two houses and still learned something new in every chapter. This is the guide I wish I had in 2019."
Your next renovation could cost thousands less.
Get the Training Guide free. Read it on the couch, bring the checklists to the job site.
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