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    HouseChalkHouseChalk

    A clearer way to build

    Know what to decide
    before your builder asks.

    HouseChalk is your home-building decision guide. Understand your options, see what they affect, and keep your choices together.

    See pricing

    For homeowners planning a custom build.

    The decision guideInteractive example · not saved
    Kitchen island with seating, pendant lights, and cabinetry
    Every room starts with a question.What goes in your island?
    Kitchen / Island designExplore your options

    A little clarity.
    Before a big decision.

    A cutaway L-shaped kitchen with full-depth cabinets, a window above the sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, and range and vent hood. Cabinet access faces the kitchen aisle; the visible island face is a finished back panel. Concept illustration, not a construction plan.Illustration · not to scale
    What it offers
    Storage underneath
    The trade-off
    No sink or cooking
    Confirm early
    Island size and location

    Prep space with storage underneath

    Start with the space around the island. Tape its footprint on the floor and walk the paths you use to cook.

    In the room

    Storage underneath

    What the build needs

    Island size and location

    Before you commit

    Confirm the size and location before you order cabinets.

    About this example

    A marketing adaptation of the HouseChalk decision library. Your selection here is not saved. Confirm the size and location before you order cabinets.

    Try the kitchen questions
    • Add Philip for design or construction
    • Guidance through move-in
    • $995 for your first year

    See what a choice changes

    A sink is never
    just a sink.

    It changes the plumbing, the cabinet below it, and the cutout above it. HouseChalk helps you see those connections while you can still act on them. Seeing them early can reduce avoidable rework and protect your time and budget.

    Follow a kitchen decision

    1. Design

      Decide how you’ll use the island

      Prep, seating, washing, or cooking. Start with how you live, then compare the layouts.

    2. Before utilities are covered

      Agree on the routes underneath

      On a slab foundation, discuss sink plumbing before the pour. A cooktop adds power or gas and ventilation.

    3. Cabinets & finishes

      Make the pieces work together

      Coordinate cabinets, fixtures, and countertop cutouts with the layout you planned.

    Find your next question

    Room to explore.
    A reason for every choice.

    Get beyond the inspiration photo. Explore a few decisions from the HouseChalk library and the questions worth asking.

    Kitchen

    Kitchen islands

    Prep space, a place to gather, or both.

    Explore this decision

    Compare prep space, seating, and utilities. A sink or cooktop changes what needs to run under the floor.

    A question to start with

    How big should my kitchen island be for seating?

    Exterior

    Windows

    The light you want. The comfort you need.

    Explore this decision

    Consider your climate, views, and long-term performance alongside the frame and glass choices.

    A question to start with

    What is the window lead time from order, and when do you need the selection?

    Living spaces

    Everyday flooring

    Made for the way your household lives.

    Explore this decision

    Balance appearance with maintenance, pets, traffic, and the budget for your main living areas.

    A question to start with

    What flooring allowance is in the contract, and does it cover the whole main level?

    Living spaces

    Stairs & circulation

    Where the everyday meets the architectural.

    Explore this decision

    Work through layout, materials, and safety with the space and budget you have.

    A question to start with

    Straight staircase vs. L-shaped: which uses space better?

    Selected examples from the decision library. Your project and priorities shape what applies to your build.

    Design guidance

    Your plan.
    A thoughtful
    second look.

    Six sessions · Two review rounds
    HouseChalk included

    Philip Jarrell
    Reviewed by a person.

    Philip reads your plan and meets with you about it.

    Put your plan in context

    Before it’s built,
    let’s look closer.

    Your floor plan should reflect the way you want to live. Design guidance puts Philip beside you while it is drawn, reviewing it against your household’s priorities so you can take clear questions back to your designer.

    • 01

      Priorities, clarified first

      A 90-minute discovery session settles what your home has to get right before anyone reviews a drawing.

    • 02

      Two rounds of review

      Two substantial reviews of your evolving plan: what works, what deserves another look, and what to ask next.

    • 03

      Time to work through it

      Five more sessions and written support, delivered over up to six months, with HouseChalk included for a year.

    Philip is not a licensed architect or engineer. His guidance helps you prepare for conversations with the people who are.

    See design and build guidance

    Keep the thinking with the choice

    More than a decision.
    A record of why.

    Save what you choose and the context behind it. Ask the AI Coach follow-up questions, and use Builder Connect when you want your builder’s input.

    Make a record in the free demo
    Kitchen / Island designExample record

    Island with seating

    The choice
    Seating at the island
    The reason
    We want a place to sit and talk while someone cooks.
    Still to confirm
    Overhang depth and the walkway behind the stools.

    A question for your builder
    Can we check the walkway with the stools in use?

    Illustrative content. Try the demo to create your own example.

    The people behind HouseChalk

    Why we made HouseChalk

    We made mistakes building our own homes. HouseChalk grew out of the questions we wished we had asked earlier.

    Meet Philip and Kendra
    Philip Jarrell
    Philip JarrellCo-founder
    Kendra Jarrell
    Kendra JarrellCo-founder

    Before you start

    Questions about HouseChalk

    How the guidance fits your project and the work you do with your builder and designer.

    Free planning worksheet

    Kitchen island checklist

    Use our kitchen island checklist to talk through the footprint, seating, and utility routes before you commit. Open it now, or print it for your next meeting.

    Open the kitchen checklist

    Free. No email or account needed.

    HouseChalk updates

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    The HouseChalk plan

    Get HouseChalk for your build.

    Decision guidance, AI Coach, and Builder Connect from planning through move-in. Add design or build guidance with Philip when you want a person beside you.

    $995

    for your first year

    See the full offer Then yearly, or $99 a month as long as you need it.