Your Home Building Coach with Bill Reid

The Approval Process Nobody Explains: Planning vs Building

Planning approval and building permits are two separate things. Most homeowners don't figure that out until they're months into the process. Use The Approvals Question W

Does Remodeling Increase Property Taxes? The 2 Lines That Decide

Does remodeling increase your property taxes? The honest answer is sometimes—and almost never the way you're picturing it. In most places, a remodel by itself doesn't rai

Home Renovation Return on Investment: 3 Returns Nobody Tells You

Download the FREE Three Returns WorksheetCall in and leave a question or topic you would like covered!530-289-6368Everybody wants to know the home renovation return on in

How to Find a Contractor Without Getting Sold

Get Your Free Team Sourcing TrackerHow to find a contractor without your phone number getting sold to eight builders at once. Bill Reid walks through the seven channels c

Owner's Representative Explained: When You May Need an Advocate on Your Side

An owner's representative is the professional you hire whose only client is you and whose only job is your project — not just design, not just construction, the whole thi

Becoming an Owner Builder: The Jobs, Liability & Real Savings

Most homeowners think becoming an owner builder means saving money by skipping the general contractor's overhead and profit. That's not what it is. What it actually is: t

Mechanics Liens: What Homeowners Must Know Before Paying

Mechanics liens can attach to your home even when you paid your contractor on time for every single draw. A lumber yard you never spoke to, a truss manufacturer you never

Budget Checkpoints: How to Control Costs During Home Design

Most homeowners don't find out how to control costs during home design until it's too late—usually after the plans are drawn, the checks are cashed, and the project comes

How to Create a Home Renovation Budget Without Guessing

Most homeowners approach the budget question with guesses, Facebook advice, or numbers they heard from a neighbor. Bill Reid — residential construction expert with 35+ ye

Homeowner Insurance During Renovation: The Gaps Nobody Warns You About

Your homeowner insurance during renovation can quietly stop protecting you precisely when your home is most exposed. Standard policies are built for homes you live in, no

Contractor Insurance Requirements That Protect Your Home Investment

Contractor insurance requirements protect you from the financial catastrophe most homeowners never see coming: when a worker gets hurt on your property and there's no val

Cash Discount Construction Scams: The Real Cost Homeowners Pay

Cash discount construction scams destroy homeowners every year — and the offer always feels like a gift. Your contractor leans in at the kitchen table and says if you pay

Construction Schedule: Control Timeline & Budget

Construction schedule mistakes are one of the most common reasons projects finish late and run over budget. Most homeowners never see a real construction schedule before

Change Orders: The $15K Surprise & How to Stop It

Get Your Change Order Tracker Tool - For FREE! Change orders start more arguments on job sites than anything else. You're three weeks into your remodel when the contract

Construction Contract Basics: What to Check Before You Sign

That construction contract sitting on your kitchen table is the single most important document in your entire project. You've earned your way to this moment—months in des

Fixed Price Contracting: 4 Components That Decide Your Budget

Fixed Price Contracting: The Well-Marked Trail to Construction CertaintyThis is the fourth and final episode of the Contracting Methods series. If you've been following a

Cost Plus Contract Protection: The 4-Part System That Saves

Part two of the Cost Plus Contract series delivers the structure that prevents $100K+ overruns. If you caught Episode 56 last week, you know Cost Plus is when your contra

Cost Plus Contract Explained: 3 Types + California Law

A cost plus contract means your contractor gets reimbursed for every project cost plus a profit margin — but it comes in three flavors, and the structural differences det

Cost Plus vs Fixed Price — Which Contract Protects You?

Cost plus or fixed price? It's the question your contractor asks just before you sign — and most homeowners walk into the answer blind. Episode 55 launches a brand-new su

How to Choose a Contractor — The Scorecard That Gets It Right

How to choose a contractor from three bids using a 7-category weighted scorecard — the same methodology commercial developers use on multi-million-dollar projects, adapte