Know What Questions to Ask.
A little preparation before construction begins can prevent expensive misunderstandings later.
Planning Guide + Homeowner Questionnaire + 48-Page Project Log, plus a free bonus: The Home Lift Planning Guide ($17 value). Also available with an optional personal review and private conversation with Michael.
Most remodeling problems don’t begin with bad intentions.
They begin with things that weren’t discussed: an allowance that wasn’t understood, a change nobody priced, a selection that wasn’t made in time, or a detail everyone assumed somebody else was handling.
Your job isn’t to be the builder. Your job is to be an informed homeowner, so you’re not standing in a half-demolished room trying to make an expensive decision on the spot.
That’s why I created The Builder’s 2nd Opinion.
Third-Generation Builder · 30+ Years in Residential Construction
For much of my working life, I built custom homes and worked directly with homeowners through the decisions that come with residential construction. The Builder’s 2nd Opinion gives homeowners access to that experience before their remodeling project gets underway.
Three practical preparation tools.
Learn what deserves attention, think through what you may not have considered, and keep the details organized as your project moves forward.
Before You Remodel Planning Guide
The decisions and conversations that deserve attention before construction starts.
Homeowner Questionnaire
A comprehensive set of questions to work through at your own pace, covering the things homeowners most often overlook.
48-Page Project Log
One place for your decisions, selections, quotes, costs, conversations and questions as the project moves forward.
Here’s how it works.
Read the Before You Remodel Planning Guide and get familiar with the decisions and conversations that deserve attention.
Complete the Questionnaire at your own pace, then use the Project Log to keep everything organized. With the $37 package, these tools are yours to use on your own.
Choose the $119 package, or add it later for $99, and return your completed Questionnaire to me for personal review.
After I review your answers, we meet privately by Zoom for 30 minutes and focus on your questions, concerns and what your answers uncovered.
I review your answers, not your construction.
Start with a free tool.
Start with the preparation. Add my personal help if you want it.
Before You Remodel
- Before You Remodel Planning Guide
- Comprehensive Homeowner Questionnaire
- 48-Page Project Log
- Bonus: The Home Lift Planning Guide ($17 value)
- Immediate digital delivery
- Work through it at your own pace
30-day guarantee: work through the Questionnaire, and if the package doesn’t help you prepare, send your completed pages within 30 days for a full refund. Applies to the $37 package only, and ends if you upgrade to a personal review.
Preparation + Personal Conversation
- Everything in the $37 package
- Personal review of your completed Questionnaire
- Private 30-minute Zoom conversation with Michael
- A focused discussion of what your answers uncovered
No contractor commissions or referral fees. No site visits. No construction management.
Before you buy
Who is this for?
Homeowners planning a remodel, addition or new home who want to be prepared before they hire a contractor or sign a contract.
How do I receive the materials?
Right after checkout you get immediate digital delivery of all three tools.
Does it work for a smaller project like a bathroom?
Yes. Skip what doesn’t apply. Allowances, changes, selections and communication matter on every job.
How does the personal review work?
Complete the Questionnaire and return it to me. I review your answers, then we meet privately by Zoom for 30 minutes to talk through your questions and what your answers uncovered. I review your answers, not your construction: no site visits and no construction management.
Are you connected to any contractors?
No. I take no contractor commissions or referral fees.
What if the package isn’t useful to me?
Work through the Homeowner Questionnaire first. If it still isn’t useful, email your completed pages within 30 days of purchase for a full refund of the $37 package. The guarantee doesn’t apply once you’ve upgraded to a personal review.
One unanswered question could be worth far more than $37.
One overlooked allowance, change, specification, responsibility or assumption could cost you far more than preparing before the work begins. The goal isn’t to find problems with your contractor. It’s to begin with fewer unanswered questions.