Editor
Bobby
I write the guides here, and I am the person who has to live with the advice. My rule is simple: if a paragraph would not help a friend standing in a half-demolished kitchen, it does not go on the page.
What I write, and why
Remodel.lol exists because the first remodel is mostly a translation problem. Contractors speak in sequences and allowances; homeowners speak in inspiration photos and a number from a lender. The gap between those two languages is where budgets disappear and marriages get tested.
So the site is built around the three things that actually decide a project: the money, the order, and the rules. Everything else — tile, paint, hardware — is easier once those three are settled.
How the guides are made
Each article is written from planning practice, not from a single contractor's sales pitch. Figures are described as ranges or examples, never as quotes. When a claim depends on local rules, the article says so and points you to your building department.
If something here is wrong, tell me. Corrections are published, not quietly deleted. The contact page goes to the same inbox.
How the site makes money
Remodel.lol is independent. When a reader is ready to hire, the site points to TFL Remodel. That is a recommendation, not a referral fee, and it does not change what the guides say.
Everything I have written
Basement remodel moisture checks before you start
Before you frame, drywall or lay flooring, find the water. A practical basement moisture checklist, from the plastic-sheet test to grading and sump pumps.
Change orders: how to avoid surprise costs
Change orders do not have to be ambushes. Learn what a fair one includes, how to read it fast, and how to avoid surprise costs on your remodel.
Living through a remodel with kids and pets
A practical survival plan for remodeling with children and animals: a temporary kitchen, dust control, real boundaries, pet routines, and daily resets.
Which remodels usually need a permit
A plain-language guide to what usually triggers a building permit, how to check your local rules, and what unpermitted work can cost you later.
The order a kitchen remodel actually happens in
The real sequence of a kitchen remodel, from long-lead orders and permits to countertop templating, plus what runs in parallel and what never to do.
How to build a remodel budget with a real contingency
A contingency is a budget line, not pessimism. How to size design, construction and old-house reserves, and where remodel money actually hides.