HOMEFRONT COMPASS / THE RESEARCH LIBRARY
Welcome to the knowledge side of HOMEFRONT. Study building systems, compare materials, consult trusted sources, and use practical tools before you decide what comes next.
WELCOME TO THE READING ROOM
Compass is the learning and research division of HOMEFRONT: reference guides, technical explanations, material comparisons, primary-source research and practical calculators. Contractors and tradespeople can explore a separate free professional workshop, starting with their own payroll figures in the labor cost worksheet. The remodeling business has its own separate service pages; you never need to request a project to use this library.
RESEARCH DESK / FIELD INSTRUMENTS
Begin with a verified source or your own numbers. Home-specific conditions still call for current professional and local-authority review.
REFERENCE FILE / CA—01
Check a contractor license, business name, or Home Improvement Salesperson registration directly at the California Contractors State License Board.
Open official CSLB lookup Records remain on the state website. HOMEFRONT does not display or certify license status.CALCULATION SHEET / M—01
Explore the monthly principal-and-interest payment for an ordinary fixed-rate, fully amortizing loan, using numbers you supply.
COMPASS / THE FIELDWORK DESK
Turn what you learn into questions you can ask, documents you can check, and clear follow-ups. These worksheets work locally in your browser; nothing is submitted to HOMEFRONT.
For each prompt, check it when you've reviewed the question. A checked item is not proof the answer is accurate.
Compare two written proposals for the same project. Mark what's aligned, different, or unclear; do not compare totals before identifying scope gaps.
For each dimension, compare the written documents and select one status. “Aligned” means you checked the actual wording, not that the work is suitable.
Areas, removal, construction and final work included.
Product models, quantities, grades and substitutions.
Items or selections with unsettled specifications.
Work deliberately omitted or assigned to others.
Who handles applications, inspections and associated steps.
How concealed work and field discoveries are addressed.
Revisions, approval process and current document dates.
Protection, disposal, final documents and coverage.
Compare both documents before choosing a project approach.
Our original Scope Leveler lets you organize each proposal's boundaries, allowances, unknowns and versions separately.
Open the full Scope Leveler →Source context: CSLB written-contract guidance ↗
THE RESEARCH RULE · No account, quote request, tracking or automatic saving. Copy, download or print what you want to keep. Checklist selections are your notes, not license verification, legal advice or a finding about a contractor.
THE COMPASS CATALOGUE
SUBJECT INDEX / REFERENCE & METHODSIn-depth answers organized around real homeowner questions: comparing scopes, understanding materials, and spotting information that needs verification.
Open the Compass research library →Explore how roofs, foundations, windows, electrical systems, plumbing, insulation, finishes, and outdoor spaces fit together. This library grows from evidence-backed explanations, not copied specifications.
Browse eight construction reference files →Interactive studies of how a home behaves: by day and night, in an outage, at the door, in the garden and across California's climates. Each one separates what a source says from what only your own home, and the right professional, can settle.
Side-by-side comparisons built around the job a material has to do, never around a winner. Each one names what you can judge by eye and what only the actual product and property can settle.
Two windows can have labels worth comparing and still describe different projects. This evidence matrix makes missing information visible—without pretending that a number can choose for your household.
First, read and record actual NFRC label ratings in the separate Window Label Decoder →Compare two identified products or written proposals. Mark what you've located, what needs clarification, and what you haven't examined yet. “Evidence in my notes” means you found something written down; it does not mean HOMEFRONT verified it.
OFFICIAL SOURCE SHELF / CHECKED OCTOBER 10, 2026
These sources explain what performance values mean and what else belongs in a comparison. Verify specific current product ratings at NFRC. Only qualified professionals and responsible authorities can settle property-specific installation or regulatory questions.
Build a brief around your priorities, the condition of the home, scope inclusions, exclusions, and the questions that make bids easier to compare.
Use the Compass checklists →Open the Before-Demolition Decision File →
Explore the detailed proposal Scope Leveler →
What does the work cost? HOMEFRONT's working ranges for kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and roofing explain every tier.
See what remodeling costs →Explore wildfire readiness, moisture, heat, water intrusion, and the difference between a visible symptom and a verified building condition.
Explore wildfire readiness →Start with locally relevant sources in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. The library is not limited to Southern California; each jurisdiction's requirements must be checked at the source.
Open the Official Authority Desk →How many ADUs did each city permit? The SoCal ADU Permit Index lays out every city and county in the five counties, 2018 to 2025, from their own reports to the state.
Open the SoCal ADU Permit Index →09 / VERIFY AT THE SOURCE
Information changes. Use these first-party resources rather than relying on a generic claim about what is allowed at your address. Find official city, county, state and federal sources in the Compass Authority Desk →
10 / HOMEFRONT QUESTION INDEX
Each question below links to the single HOMEFRONT page written to answer it. Questions that depend on a specific property, a local rule or a licensed professional stay off this list until they can be answered honestly.
A STRONGER TOMORROW AT HOME
Compass is free to use and never asks you to request a project. The HOMEFRONT remodeling division keeps its own pages; this side of the house is for reading, comparing and getting your questions in order.
Browse every HOMEFRONT guide → Have a topic in mind? Find a passage and its original reference →Updated · New: the SoCal ADU Permit Index and HOMEFRONT's remodeling price ranges.