RenoBinderRemodel planning guides
Practical, sourced guides for homeowners planning a kitchen or bathroom remodel: budgets, contingency, contractor bids, allowances, change orders, and payments.
Budget
- Kitchen remodel budget breakdown: where the money goesCabinets take the biggest share of a kitchen budget. The NKBA category split, what homeowners spent in 2025, and how to plan your number.
- Bathroom remodel budget breakdown: where the money goesInstallation, fixtures, and plumbing take most of a bathroom budget. The NKBA split, current cost ranges, and planning for what's behind walls.
- Remodel contingency: how much to set aside (and when to spend it)Most remodel guidance lands on a 10–20% contingency. Where that range comes from, when to use the top of it, and how to keep it from vanishing.
- How to track remodel spending and keep the receipts that matterPlanned, committed, paid: the three numbers that keep a remodel budget honest. Plus which home improvement records the IRS says to keep, and for how long.
Hiring & contracts
- How to compare contractor quotes for a remodel (apples to apples)Three remodel bids, three different totals. Here's how to line them up on the same scope, price the gaps, and spot the bid that only looks cheapest.
- Allowances in a remodel contract: what they are and how they raise your priceAn allowance is a placeholder price for something you haven't picked yet. How allowances work, and how to check them before you sign a bid.
- How much to pay a contractor up front: deposits and payment schedules for a remodelWhat consumer agencies say about remodel deposits, how to tie payments to progress, and state rules like California's $1,000-or-10% cap.
- Change orders in a remodel: how they work and how to keep them under controlWhat a remodel change order should include, which states require it in writing, and how to keep a running total so the final bill isn't a surprise.