renovation

TrueBuild — Tested at home, written slowly.

Four writers, one rule: nothing gets published until one of us has lived with it for a month.

TrueBuild

Editor's Picks

View all

Browse by Section

Latest

View all
Shapes of small dining tables: where rework happens
Small Flats

Shapes of small dining tables: where rework happens

There is plenty written about shapes of small dining tables and little you can act on. This piece stays concrete: every action can be done in front…

Sonia MarchettiSonia Marchetti·September 12, 2026·4 min read
Ceiling voids for air conditioning: settled in one read
Electrics and Plumbing

Ceiling voids for air conditioning: settled in one read

Put ceiling voids for air conditioning back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives good…

Jasper NunezJasper Nunez·September 12, 2026·4 min read
When electrics come in: the detail checklist
Project Sequence

When electrics come in: the detail checklist

If you only read one paragraph, read this: when electrics come in depends on how the situation is set up, not on how you feel at the time. Arrange…

Amos ReillyAmos Reilly·September 12, 2026·4 min read
Balcony lighting: boundaries before methods
Lighting Design

Balcony lighting: boundaries before methods

Put balcony lighting back into a real week, with overtime, travel and days you cannot be bothered. Any plan that only survives good months will not…

Amos ReillyAmos Reilly·September 9, 2026·4 min read
The rule for rug dimensions: turning experience into steps
Furnishing

The rule for rug dimensions: turning experience into steps

Anyone who has spent time on the rule for rug dimensions has a failure story: a strong start, a collapse in the middle, then silence. This is not…

Eloise FontaineEloise Fontaine·September 9, 2026·4 min read
Visual tricks for depth: the detail checklist
Small Flats

Visual tricks for depth: the detail checklist

Most people do not fail at visual tricks for depth from misunderstanding it. They fail because understanding is not doing. What follows is the doing…

Eloise FontaineEloise Fontaine·September 6, 2026·4 min read

Reading Paths

View all

Set the standard before discussing method in a kitchen for one; without a standard, every step risks rework.

Free Tools

View all

Small calculators and checklists that pair with these guides.

Who Writes Here

View all

One useful letter a month

What we tested, what failed, and the one thing worth trying this month. No selling.

About This Site

View all

TrueBuild covers renovation from the inside: four writers, one editorial rule — nothing is published until one of us has done it for at least a month, in a normal home, on a normal budget. The awkward parts stay in the text.