She figured she needed help from someone knowledgeable and impartial, who understood how the industry worked. Then she heard about reno coaching, a relatively new service where, for $75-$100 an hour, a project manager would come to her house and help her draw up a budget and advise her whether her project was practical and affordable.

Do you have trouble making decisions like these? Consider hiring a renovation coach. Good ones optimize design, assess price quotes and knock the fluff out of inflated estimates. The money a reno coach saves typically more than pays their fee.

Growe spent this past summer renovating his basement under the watchful eye of the man known as the Reno Coach.

"(He) brings his tools and knowledge to the project and teaches you what to do, all the while supervising," says Growe.