Remodeling & interiors
Books and taxes for aging-in-place remodelers.
A referral from an occupational therapist, a rushed ramp build before a hospital discharge, a widened doorway, and a family paying from several directions at once. Gus sorts every dollar to the job it came from, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
February came in at $15,000. The Reyes ramp build got rushed ahead of a hospital discharge date, and the extra crew hours are tied to that job, not counted as overtime waste.
- Family payment, Reyes ramp buildRushed and expedited jobs
- Client draw, Whitfield bathroomStandard project draws
- Lumber and ramp materialsFraming and ramp materials
- Grab bar and hardware orderAccessibility hardware
- Doorway widening sub, electricianSubcontractors
Why your books are different
Aging-in-place remodel books go wrong when a job gets rushed for a reason.
A generalist sees a deposit and a bill. Your jobs often start with an occupational therapist's assessment, get funded by family members paying from different accounts, and sometimes need to be finished on an urgent timeline tied to a hospital discharge. When the books do not track that, a rushed job looks like poor planning instead of what it actually was.
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1
A rushed timeline gets billed like a normal job
When a family needs a ramp or a widened doorway finished before a loved one comes home from the hospital, extra crew hours or expedited material shipping are real added costs, and if they are not tied to the urgency, a rushed job just looks like it ran over budget.
What we doTies expedited costs to the job's rushed timeline, so the extra expense shows up as the reason it was rushed, not as a planning mistake. -
2
Payments from multiple family members are hard to match to one job
It is common for an adult child, a spouse, and the homeowner to each contribute toward one project, and if those payments are not tracked as one job's funding, it can look like scattered, unrelated deposits instead of one project getting paid for.
What we doMatches payments from different family members back to the single job they are funding, so the full picture stays clear. -
3
Accessibility hardware gets buried in general remodel materials
Grab bars, lever handles, and other accessibility-specific hardware cost differently than standard fixtures, and if they blend into general materials, you cannot see how much of a job's cost is the accessibility work specifically.
What we doKeeps accessibility hardware in its own line, separate from standard remodel materials. -
4
An occupational therapist referral relationship goes untracked
A therapist's recommendation often drives which jobs come your way, but if that source is not tracked, you cannot see how much of your business depends on that relationship compared to other lead sources.
What we doTracks jobs by referral source, so you can see what a therapist or clinic relationship is actually worth to the business.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an aging-in-place remodeling business.
Set up once for how your jobs get paid and what they cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Standard project drawsRegular progress billing on planned accessibility remodels.
- Rushed and expedited jobsProjects finished on an urgent timeline, tracked with their added cost.
- Change order billingAdded scope, like a second grab bar zone or a wider hallway, billed on top of the plan.
- RetainageThe final percentage held back until the walkthrough, tracked so it does not get forgotten.
Money out
- Framing and ramp materialsLumber and structural materials for ramps and widened openings.
- Accessibility hardwareGrab bars, lever handles, and other accessibility-specific fixtures.
- SubcontractorsElectricians, plumbers, and other trades brought in for the job.
- Permit feesPaid to the local building department for structural changes.
- Expedited shipping and rush feesExtra costs paid to speed up materials or scheduling for urgent jobs.
What we watch for you
- Job margin
What each project actually cleared after materials, subs, and any rush costs.
- Rushed job cost
How much expedited timelines are adding to a job's true cost, tracked apart from planning issues.
- Referral source value
Which therapist, clinic, or past client relationships are actually bringing in work.
- Open draws
Money billed but not yet collected, so a slow-paying job does not become a cash surprise.
Ask Gus
Things aging-in-place remodelers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No, I tied the extra crew hours to that job's rushed timeline, so you can see it as the reason for the added cost, not a planning mistake.
Not at all. I matched both payments to the same job, so you can see the full amount collected toward it, no matter who sent it.
If you paid him $2,000 or more this year and he is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I have been keeping that list all year so it is ready.
The tax side
The tax side of an aging-in-place remodeling business.
Most of what trips up this business is timing on rushed jobs and tracking who does the work.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Subcontractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026, like an electrician or plumber on a job, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list as the year goes.
- Employee or subcontractorA crew member who works your schedule and uses your tools usually looks like an employee, not a sub, no matter what the invoice says. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
- Tools and equipmentRamp-building tools and other job equipment can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right only when the books track rushed costs and family payments correctly all year.
Deductions aging-in-place remodelers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Framing and ramp-building tools
- Accessibility hardware samples
- Truck fuel and repairs
- Accessibility certification courses
- Liability insurance
- Dumpster and disposal fees
- Small tool replacement
- Branded uniforms
- Phone and tablet for jobsite use
- Mileage to consultations and job sites
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An aging-in-place remodeling year, kept every month.
Urgent jobs can land any time of year, alongside more predictable planned projects. Gus keeps taxes on their own schedule through both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the subcontractor 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether rushed jobs are eating into margin more than planned ones.
- October
Before year-end
Gus looks at any equipment worth buying before December and where the year is landing.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for aging-in-place remodelers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions aging-in-place remodelers ask first.
A job got rushed for a family's urgent timeline and cost more. Does that hurt my books?
No. Gus ties the extra cost to the job's rushed timeline, so it shows up as the reason for the added expense, not a planning mistake.
A project is being paid by more than one family member. Can Gus keep that straight?
Yes. Payments from different people get matched back to the single job they are funding, so the full picture stays clear no matter who paid what.
Do I need to track referrals from occupational therapists separately?
It helps a lot. Gus tracks jobs by referral source, so you can see what a therapist or clinic relationship is actually worth to your business.
Do I write off ramp-building tools all at once?
Often you can. Equipment bought for the business can usually be deducted the year you buy it, and sometimes spreading it out is the better call. Gus flags the purchase and the accountant decides with your whole year in view.
My books are a few months behind. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand within a week.
Should accessibility hardware be tracked apart from general remodel materials?
Yes, and Gus does it for you. Grab bars, lever handles, and similar hardware stay in their own line, so you can see what the accessibility work specifically costs.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever