Index
Projects
11 source-reviewed project field guides. Other project types wait in the research queue and are not published until they are reviewed.
Low
Fence
Lines, height, and the neighbor conversation.
Compare quotes per linear foot
Medium
Deck
Height is the permit switch.
Compare quotes per square foot of deck
Low
Shed
Size, setback, and whether it counts as a building.
Compare quotes per shed
Medium
Pergola
Open sky, attached or not.
Compare quotes per structure
High
Retaining Wall
Four feet, counted from the footing.
Compare quotes per square foot of wall face
Low
Patio
At-grade is the easy path.
Compare quotes per square foot
Medium
Gazebo
The roof is one question, the wiring another.
Compare quotes per structure
Medium
Driveway
The curb cut is the city conversation.
Compare quotes per square foot
High
Pool
Plan the barrier with the pool.
Compare quotes per pool
High
Garage
Past 200 square feet, a building with plans.
Compare quotes per garage
High
ADU
A dwelling. Full stop.
Compare quotes per unit
What a field guide contains
Each guide is built around the decisions that change the price or the permit, in the order a homeowner meets them: locate the work on the lot, specify one system so every contractor prices the same job, then compare bids with the exceptions exposed. It carries a permit brief with the measurements that decide review, a material comparison with the line each option adds to a quote, a list of quote controls, and the primary sources the page was checked against, each with the date it was read.
Where to start
If you know the project, open its guide and use the calculator it links to for quantities. If you are still deciding between projects, the permit checker shows the typical complexity and the unit to compare quotes by for each one in your state. When the numbers settle, the Project Brief turns them into a scope you can hand to a contractor.
Research queue
Outdoor Structures have no page until their project, permit and cost evidence can be reviewed as one content package.