Needs & Wants Checklists
Sit down together, walk through the checklist for your project, and find out where you actually agree — and where you will need to talk it out before construction starts.
A Fifteen-Minute Conversation That Saves Months Later
Pick your project
Choose the checklist that matches the remodel you are considering.
Rate items together
Go through the list side by side. Each of you marks every item Must-Have, Nice-to-Have or Skip.
See where you align
We show the perfect matches — and more usefully, flag the ones you need to discuss.
Which Remodel Are You Planning?
Every Item On The Checklists
The full lists, in plain text. Useful if you would rather print one or read it through before sitting down together. Each is grouped the same way the tool above groups it.
Kitchen — 30 items
Get on the same page about layout, appliances, storage and finishes before anybody starts drawing.
Layout & Flow
The decisions that cost the most and matter the most.
- Remove a wall to open the kitchen to another room
- Add an island
- Add seating at the island or peninsula
- Relocate the sink
- Relocate the range or cooktop
- Widen the walkway between counters and island
- Add or enlarge a window
Cabinets & Storage
Roughly 35 to 45 percent of your budget lives here.
- Cabinets to the ceiling
- Full-extension soft-close drawers throughout
- A walk-in or cabinet pantry
- Deep drawers instead of lower cabinet doors
- Pull-out trash and recycling
- Spice, tray, and utensil organizers
- A dedicated coffee or beverage station
Surfaces & Finishes
Where most people start, and where we finish.
- Quartz or stone countertops
- Full-height backsplash behind the range
- New flooring throughout the kitchen
- Under-cabinet lighting
- A statement hood
- Painted rather than stained cabinets
Appliances
Decide early — cabinets get built around these.
- Counter-depth or panel-ready refrigerator
- Induction or gas range
- Double or wall oven
- Second dishwasher or drawer dishwasher
- Beverage or wine fridge
Details & Extras
Small line items that people feel every single day.
- Pot filler at the range
- Touchless or filtered water faucet
- Outlets in the island
- Dimmable layered lighting
- Charging drawer or docking station
Bathroom — 29 items
Decide together what kind of bathroom you actually want — spa, purely functional, or somewhere in between.
Layout
- Convert the garden tub into a larger shower
- Relocate the toilet
- Separate the toilet into its own compartment
- Add a linen closet
- Widen the doorway for better access
- Add a window for natural light
Shower & Tub
- Curbless shower entry
- Built-in bench
- Niche for bottles
- Frameless glass
- Freestanding tub
- Second or handheld shower head
- Steam shower
Vanity & Storage
- Double sinks
- Quartz top
- Drawer storage instead of doors
- Medicine or mirror cabinet
- Floating vanity
- Outlet inside the vanity drawer
Comfort
- Heated floors
- Better ventilation fan
- Dimmable lighting
- Towel warmer
- Comfort-height toilet
- Bidet seat
Finishes
- Large-format tile
- Tiled shower walls to the ceiling
- Matte black or brass fixtures
- New flooring
Whole Home — 28 items
A big project with even bigger decisions. Use this to sort what you are tackling now from what can wait.
Floor Plan
- Open the main level
- Relocate or add a bathroom
- Reconfigure the primary suite
- Add a home office or flex room
- Add a mudroom or drop zone
- Enlarge or relocate the laundry
Systems
- Electrical panel upgrade
- Whole-house rewire
- Repipe plumbing
- New HVAC system
- Add insulation
- Tankless water heater
- Whole-house water filtration
Kitchen & Baths
- Full kitchen remodel
- Primary bathroom remodel
- Secondary bathroom remodel
- Add a powder room
- Laundry room refresh
Envelope
- Replace windows
- New exterior doors
- Re-side or repaint exterior
- Add or improve attic insulation
- New garage door
Finishes
- One flooring throughout
- New trim and interior doors
- Full interior paint
- New lighting throughout
- Built-in cabinetry or shelving
Home Addition — 28 items
Agree on what the new space is actually for before it gets framed, because that is what drives the cost.
Purpose
- Primary bedroom suite
- Additional bedroom
- Family or bonus room
- Home office
- Mudroom or entry expansion
- Sunroom or four-season room
- Garage or shop space
Structure
- Single story build-out
- Second story addition
- Attached garage expansion
- Covered entry or porch
- Vaulted or raised ceiling in the addition
Plumbing
- Full bathroom in the addition
- Half bath
- Wet bar or kitchenette
- Laundry relocation
- Second laundry hookup
Systems
- Extend existing HVAC
- Separate mini-split zone
- Electrical subpanel
- Whole-house fan or ventilation
- Dedicated water heater for the addition
Exterior
- Match existing siding
- Match existing roofing
- New windows matched to existing
- Match existing trim and soffit
- New exterior door to the yard
- Gutters and downspouts tied in
Basement — 28 items
Align on how the basement will really get used — rec room, guest suite, gym, or all of the above.
Rooms
- Open rec room
- Legal bedroom
- Second bedroom
- Media or theater room
- Gym or workout area
- Home office
- Guest suite with its own entrance
Wet Areas
- Full bathroom
- Three-quarter or half bath
- Wet bar
- Kitchenette
- Second laundry
Required Items
- Egress window
- Moisture or drainage work
- Sump pump
- Ejector pump for plumbing
- Radon mitigation
- Egress well cover
Comfort
- Sound insulation between floors
- Ceiling height preserved over main space
- Dedicated HVAC zone
- Insulated subfloor
- Under-stair storage
Finishes
- Luxury vinyl plank flooring
- Built-in shelving or storage
- Recessed lighting throughout
- Solid-core doors
- Accent wall or fireplace feature
Why This Matters Before You Start
The most expensive part of a remodel is not the materials or the labor. It is the change orders. And the single biggest cause of change orders is two people who were not on the same page when the project started.
One of you assumed the island was happening. The other assumed that money was going to the addition instead. Nobody said it out loud, so it got decided in week six, at construction prices, under time pressure. Fifteen minutes at your kitchen table now is worth more than any negotiating you will do with us later.
Ready To Talk?
Bring your finished list to the first call. It is the single most useful thing a homeowner can walk in with.