Free Renovation Tools for Homeowners
Estimate costs, check permits, size electrical, spot risks, plan your crew, and scope the job — in minutes, not weeks.
Design and Biz builds free, AI-powered tools that help homeowners plan renovations and additions with confidence. Whether you're pricing a kitchen remodel, checking what permits your town requires, or figuring out which trades you actually need, our six tools give you real answers in under two minutes — no contractor calls and no sales pitch. And when a project is too big or too complex to tackle alone, our owner-side advisory team is here to guide you from first sketch to final walkthrough.
Six Free Tools
Three steps. Zero guesswork.
Enter Your Address
Tell us where your home is and what you're planning. Our tools use your location to pull local codes, costs, and climate data.
Get Instant Insights
Pick any of our free AI tools — permits, costs, scope, risk, crew, or energy. Get a detailed, personalized analysis in seconds.
Take Action
Use your results to hire smarter, budget better, and avoid surprises — or talk to one of our advisors for hands-on help.
CostWut!
Get a realistic renovation cost range in under two minutes — based on your scope, finishes, and region.
Estimate my projectPermitWut!
Find out whether your project needs a permit, which ones, and what inspectors usually look for.
Check my permitsWattsWut!
See where you're overpaying on your energy bill and find the fastest ways to cut it — before your next renovation decision.
Lower my billRiskWut!
See your home's exposure to flood, fire, wind, and severe weather — and the upgrades that actually harden your house and lower your premiums.
Check my riskCrewWut!
Find out whether your project needs an architect, engineer, or specialty trades — and exactly who you'll need to pull it off.
Plan my teamScopeWut!
Turn a rough idea into a clear, itemized scope you can send to contractors for apples-to-apples bids.
Build my scopeWhen the project gets bigger than a tool
Six advisory services for homeowners who want a partner in their corner from first sketch to final walkthrough.
Owner Representation
An independent strategic partner from pre-construction through completion.
Scoping
A clear picture of what your project takes — scope, timeline, crew, cost.
Permit & Code Strategy
Navigate zoning, historic, and multi-agency approvals without losing months.
Energy Strategy
Optimize long-term utility costs with rate analysis, solar, and incentives.
Risk Mitigation
Address-specific flood, fire, wind, and insurance hardening plans.
AI Design Iteration
Explore design options fast, before formal architect revisions.
Real homeowners. Real outcomes.
We work for the owner — never the contractor, never the architect, never the GC. Here's what that looks like in practice.
I was already in the middle of a renovation when I started thinking about adding an ADU. The last thing I needed was to make a decision that would derail everything already underway. Design and Biz mapped out the full picture before I committed to anything — and steered me toward a solution that was faster, cheaper, and actually worked with the project I already had in progress.
— Grace, New York
We wanted to finish the basement, and figured we'd tap into our old gas furnace to heat it. The WattsWut tool showed us that doing so would cost more long-term than switching to a heat pump — and that making the switch during the renovation would save us thousands. Nobody else laid that out for us so simply.
— Lee, Ohio
Founded by a corporate strategist and a government regulatory specialist who saw the same problem: homeowners making six-figure decisions with almost no independent guidance. Design and Biz puts experienced advisors on your side of the table — not the contractor's.
Learn more about us →Not sure where to start?
Tell us about your project and we'll point you in the right direction.