Free · educational · planning aids
Free Planning Resources
Free educational resources to help you talk through a renovation, interior or material decision with your household, designer or contractor. Visual reference packs, planning checklists and printable aids — never a substitute for licensed professional advice.
Visual reference packs
Editorial visuals you can use as starting points
Curated visual reference packs to support a planning conversation. Each pack is honest about what it is — visual reference, not construction documentation — and links to the planning tools and guides you'll need next.
Planning checklists
Already on Build Design Hub
Source-aware planning checklists already published in /tools. They pair well with the visual reference packs and the long-form guides.
Renovation planning checklist
Source-aware planning aid for a renovation project.
Open the checklist →Contractor hiring checklist
What to gather before requesting bids and how to compare them.
Open the checklist →Project budget planner
Educational framing for materials, labor, permits and contingencies.
Open the checklist →Material comparison checklist
Questions and trade-offs to weigh before specifying materials.
Open the checklist →Backyard planning checklist
A small-project planning aid for patios and outdoor rooms.
Open the checklist →Use them with the planning content
Pair these resources with the planning guides
The most useful free resources are the ones that send you back to the right planning conversation. Browse renovation, interior design, materials and the long-form guides.