TOOLS OF OUR TRADE-OFF

Loose-leaf notebook with pocket dividers. You’ll need a divider for each major item in your project (tile, cabinets). Use the pockets to collect business cards, small samples and the inevitable scraps of paper. Attach estimates, purchase orders and contracts to loose-leaf pages organized by section. After completion, the notebook is your archive and repository for warranties.

-- At-a-glance calendar and pen with eraser. Here’s where you’ll record and update your master schedule. A pocket version with attached address book is handy to take along on treks to showrooms or inspection tours.

-- A large, sturdy carton for storing “samples.” Itsy chips of paint or a few square inches of paper tell nothing about how a color or pattern will work wall-size. Be prepared to haul around large hunks of whatever you’re matching up.