Money
Four bands, three products, and one number you should hold back
Before you talk to a lender, get an honest band for the scope. Borrowing against a figure that is 30 percent low is how projects stall at drywall.
Budget bands
Where a scope usually lands
Finish scope
$25,000 to $75,000
4 to 10 weeks on site
- Whole-house flooring and paint
- One bathroom inside a wider plan
- Deck or screened porch replacement
Structural scope
$75,000 to $185,000
12 to 24 weeks on site
- Bearing wall removal with a beam
- Garage or bonus room conversion
- Service upgrade with partial rewire
Addition scope
$185,000 to $350,000
18 to 34 weeks on site
- Rear or side addition on a new foundation
- Lanai enclosed as conditioned space
- Second-storey work where the footing allows
Whole-home scope
$185,000 to $520,000
26 to 44 weeks on site
- Every room, rewired and re-ducted
- Addition combined with a full interior
- Historic house taken back to studs
Bands are sample figures for this demo site. Your number comes from a site visit, not from a page.
Financing
Three products our clients actually use
Project loan
Unsecured, fastest to close
$1,062per month, sample
60 months on $50,000 · Sample APR 9.99 percent
- No lien against the house
- Decision usually inside a few business days
- No appraisal and no draw schedule
- Fixed rate for the whole term
Watch for: The rate is higher than a secured product because the lender has no collateral. Best when the amount is modest and speed matters.
Single-scope work: flooring, painting, a bathroom, a deck.
- Most used on our jobs
Home equity line
Draw what the schedule needs
$1,020per month, sample
Interest only on $150,000 during draw · Sample variable APR 8.25 percent
- Pay interest only on what is drawn
- Draw against the construction schedule
- Appraisal and title work required
- Secured by the property
Watch for: The rate is usually variable, so a long project carries rate risk. Ask the lender what the lifetime cap is.
Whole-home renovations and additions where costs land in stages.
Renovation mortgage
Borrow against the finished value
$1,827per month, sample
180 months on $200,000 · Sample APR 7.25 percent
- Underwritten on the after-renovation value
- Contractor draw schedule and inspections
- Can be combined with the purchase
- Fixed rate available
Watch for: The slowest to close and the most paperwork, including a lender-approved scope and budget. Start it before design is finished, not after.
Large scopes, and houses bought specifically to renovate.
Project loan
Unsecured, fastest to close
$583per month, sample
144 months on $50,000 · Sample APR 9.99 percent
- No lien against the house
- Decision usually inside a few business days
- No appraisal and no draw schedule
- Fixed rate for the whole term
Watch for: The rate is higher than a secured product because the lender has no collateral. Best when the amount is modest and speed matters.
Single-scope work: flooring, painting, a bathroom, a deck.
- Most used on our jobs
Home equity line
Draw what the schedule needs
$638per month, sample
Amortised on $100,000 in repayment · Sample variable APR 8.25 percent
- Pay interest only on what is drawn
- Draw against the construction schedule
- Appraisal and title work required
- Secured by the property
Watch for: The rate is usually variable, so a long project carries rate risk. Ask the lender what the lifetime cap is.
Whole-home renovations and additions where costs land in stages.
Renovation mortgage
Borrow against the finished value
$1,364per month, sample
360 months on $200,000 · Sample APR 7.25 percent
- Underwritten on the after-renovation value
- Contractor draw schedule and inspections
- Can be combined with the purchase
- Fixed rate available
Watch for: The slowest to close and the most paperwork, including a lender-approved scope and budget. Start it before design is finished, not after.
Large scopes, and houses bought specifically to renovate.
Every payment figure on this page is a sample calculation at the stated sample rate and term. It is not an offer or a quote. We are not a lender, we do not broker loans and we take no referral fee.
Order of operations
How to approach the money
- 01
Know the band first
Get a realistic range for the scope before you apply for anything. Borrowing against a number that is 30 percent low is how projects stall at drywall.
- 02
Match the product to the shape of the spend
One payment up front suits a term loan. Money released over eight months suits a line of credit or a draw schedule.
- 03
Ask about the draw process
Draw-based products need inspections and lien waivers at each stage. That has a real effect on our schedule, so we need to know early.
- 04
Leave a contingency outside the loan
We recommend 10 to 15 percent of the contract value held back, in cash where possible, for what opening a wall reveals.
- 05
Keep the lender and the builder talking
We provide the scope, budget and schedule documents lenders ask for, and we answer their questions directly so you are not a courier.
Plainly
Three things we want to be clear about
Every figure on this page is illustrative
Payment amounts shown are sample calculations at the stated sample rates and terms. They are not offers, they are not quotes, and they do not reflect any lender's current pricing. Your rate depends on credit, equity, term and the lender you choose.
We are not a lender and we take no commission
We do not originate loans, we do not broker them and we are not paid a referral fee. We are happy to tell you which products our clients actually use and to supply the documents a lender asks for.
Contingency is not the same as financing
A contingency covers what nobody could see: rot behind siding, a drain that was never vented, a slab reading you have to mitigate. A change you choose to make is a change order, not a contingency draw.
Current offers
Three things we will do before you commit
Pre-design house survey
A two hour visit covering the electrical panel and a 220.83 load check, slab moisture screening in two rooms, an attic and duct look, and a written summary of what your house will need before anyone draws a plan.
No charge on scopes over $75,000 (sample offer)
One visit per property. Inside our six service areas. Booked through the estimate form.
Sample offer, shown for demonstration only
Slab moisture testing credit
Book flooring over 1,200 square feet and the in-situ relative humidity testing is credited against the contract. You keep the written readings whether or not you go ahead with us.
Up to $650 credited (sample offer)
Slab-on-grade only. Testing follows the manufacturer's schedule and cannot be rushed.
Sample offer, shown for demonstration only
Off-peak scheduling
Interior scopes that mobilise between the second week of January and the end of February are quoted at our off-peak labour rate. Fewer weather delays on interior work, and our crews are not competing with the spring rush.
3 to 5 percent off the labour line (sample offer)
Interior scopes only. Contract signed by 20 December. Cannot be combined with the slab testing credit.
Sample offer, shown for demonstration only
Money questions
Questions
Money and contracts
A fixed price against a written selections schedule. Every product is named with a part number and a lead time before you sign. We do not hide cost in vague allowances, because an allowance that turns out to be low is just a change order you did not know about yet.
A numbered document with a description, a price, a schedule impact in working days, and your signature before any work happens. If we open a wall and find something nobody could see, you get that document the same week, not at the end.
10 to 15 percent of the contract value, held outside the financing where you can. On a house built before 1960 we would lean to the upper end. It is not a fee, and if nothing is found you keep it.
A deposit at contract, then progress payments tied to completed stages rather than to dates: permit issued, rough-in passed, drywall complete, substantial completion. Florida law governs deposits on residential work and we follow it.
Get the band before you get the loan
A two hour site visit and a written range inside a week, at no cost.