Free homeowner guides

Plan your project.Skip the guesswork.

Plain-language guides on costs, permits, estimates, and hiring — written to help you understand a home project before you spend a dollar. Every guide is free to read, with no account required.

6In-depth guides
$0Cost to read
0Sign-ups required
Homeowner guide · REV-01SHEET 1/1
KitchenRoofingBathHVACPermits
Our mission

Home projects are stressful enough without the guesswork.

HomeMatch exists to help homeowners understand a project before they commit to it. Our guides explain what things really cost, when you need a permit, how to read an estimate, and how to check a contractor's license and insurance yourself. We don't perform home-improvement work, recommend specific contractors, or share your information with them — we just explain how it all works.

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Before-you-hire checklist
Check the license with your state board✓ Step 1
Ask for a certificate of insurance✓ Step 2
Call two or three past clients✓ Step 3
Get the estimate in writing✓ Step 4
Confirm who pulls the permit✓ Step 5
How to use HomeMatch

Three steps to a better-planned project.

01

Pick your project

Browse guides by topic — kitchens, roofing, HVAC, permits, estimates, and hiring.

02

Read the guide

Get a plain-language breakdown of costs, timelines, common pitfalls, and the questions worth asking.

03

Decide on your terms

Use our checklists to compare any estimates you collect and vet any contractor you find yourself. No fees, no sign-up, no sales calls.

What you get

Everything a homeowner needs to know, in one place.

Every guide and checklist is free to read — no account, no membership, no catch.

Hiring checklists

Step-by-step ways to check a contractor's license, insurance, and references on your own.

Cost breakdowns

Realistic, line-by-line budgets so you can plan before you talk to anyone.

Permit basics

What usually needs a permit, who pulls it, and how to ask your local building department.

Estimate decoder

How to read a contractor's estimate line by line and spot what's missing.

Optional updates

Get an email or text when we publish a new guide or checklist. Totally optional.

Always free

No fees, no subscriptions, no sales calls. HomeMatch guides are free to read.

Who it's for

If it's your home, it's your project.

Whether you're planning a full kitchen remodel, fixing a leaky roof before winter, or finally tackling that bathroom, HomeMatch is written for homeowners who want to understand the project before they spend money on it.

No account and no membership — just open a guide and start reading.

Browse the guides
From the resource library

Know before you hire.

Open any guide for a plain-language read on planning, budgeting, and avoiding the traps homeowners fall into.

Contact

Questions? Reach us directly.

Have a question about one of our guides or your update preferences? Email or call us — a real person reads every message.

support@home-match.org
(719) 204-1003
4450 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80303