How we write our guides
Our guides are meant to help you plan a renovation in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia with facts you can check yourself. This page explains where the information comes from, how we check it, and how we keep it current.
Who writes them
The guides are written and published by Hawthorne Mason, a renovation and construction advisory firm and a Brookmont Capital Ventures company. They are company publications, not one person's opinion, which is why they are signed “By Hawthorne Mason.” Learn more about our firm.
Where the information comes from
- Rules, permits, and licensing come from the official source first: the permit office or licensing agency for that jurisdiction, such as the DC Department of Buildings, Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services, the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, and Virginia's Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.
- Costs come from published cost guides. Each figure is shown with who published it and the date they give. These are other people's averages and ranges, not quotes, and not Hawthorne Mason's prices.
- Every guide lists its sources at the end, with links, so you can read the original.
- When we give our own view, we say so (“in our view”), so it is not mistaken for a published fact.
How we check them
- Before a guide is published, each figure, rule, phone number, and link is checked against the source it cites.
- A separate review pass reads the finished guide against its sources and flags anything that does not match.
- We use software tools, including AI, to help research and draft. Nothing is published until it has been checked against its sources.
How we keep them current
Permit rules, fees, and prices change. Each guide shows when it was published, when it was last updated, and when its sources were last checked. When an agency changes a rule or a source publishes new figures, we update the guide and its dates.
If you spot something out of date or wrong, email team@hawthornemason.com with the guide and what you found. We check it against the source and correct the guide if it is wrong.
Our interest
Hawthorne Mason is not a neutral publisher. We advise clients and introduce contractors from our network, such as GridStone, our licensed construction partner, and the contractor compensates Hawthorne Mason. Where a guide describes how we work, it says so plainly. No company pays to be mentioned in our guides.
What the guides are not
The guides are general information, not legal, financial, or construction advice. Confirm current requirements with the official office and your own professionals before you rely on them. Hawthorne Mason is not a general contractor and does not perform construction work.
Read the renovation guides, or tell us about your project.