New in the plan room

October 24, 2026

Esmond Fairweather

Esmond Fairweather writes about the money side of renovating and about working with contractors. He breaks quotes, contracts and payment schedules into plain steps a homeowner can follow.

How to hire an interior designer without overspending Hiring Contractors
Checking a contractor's license before you sign anything Hiring Contractors
How to hire a contractor you can trust with your house Hiring Contractors
How much contingency to keep in a renovation budget Renovation Budgets
10 ways to keep a home renovation on a budget Renovation Budgets
How to build a renovation project budget line by line Renovation Budgets