This page explains exactly how the cost ranges, the calculator and the state adjustment on Cost of Repair are produced, so you can judge how much weight to give them. It is the practical side of our editorial policy.
1. Where the prices come from
For every job we look for prices in this order:
- Official and public data. U.S. government sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR and the EPA, and federal tax rules for credits and rebates.
- Several published cost guides, not one. National cost guides that publish their price ranges (for example HomeGuide, Fixr, This Old House, Forbes Home, ConsumerAffairs). We aim for at least three independent guides per headline range, and each is cited by name, with a link and the date of the page.
- Manufacturer and retail list prices for equipment and materials, when a guide does not break them out.
We do not collect contractor quotes ourselves, and we do not run surveys. Guides older than 2025 are flagged in the article when we still use them.
2. How several sources become one range
Sources rarely agree. When they differ, the article either shows each source in its own column or gives a combined range. A combined range runs from the typical low end to the typical high end reported across the sources; we do not quote the single most extreme figure any one guide reports. When sources disagree sharply, the article says so instead of hiding the gap. Any number we calculate ourselves is marked as our estimate, with the calculation stated next to it.
3. The cost calculator
The calculator in each guide uses only the ranges published in that guide’s own tables. It multiplies the low and high figure for the option you pick by the size or quantity you enter, and adds the optional items you tick. The result is always a range, never a single price, and it is not a quote.
4. The state adjustment
Most cost guides publish national figures, but labor costs differ a lot between states. When you pick a state, the calculator adjusts the labor part of the price using the mean annual wage for construction and extraction occupations (SOC 47-0000) in that state, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, compared with the national mean of $65,360.
Our estimate: adjusted price = national price × (1 + labor share × (state wage ÷ national wage − 1)). We assume labor is about half of the price of a typical job unless the guide states another share. For example, construction wages in Washington are 26% above the national mean, so with a 50% labor share the range rises about 13%; in Arkansas they are 26% below, so it falls about 13%. Materials, permits and equipment also vary by state, and this adjustment does not capture that.
5. Charts
The bar chart under each calculator draws the published low-to-high range of every option on the same scale, so you can compare them at a glance. It uses the same figures as the table above it.
6. Who writes and checks the guides
Guides are written and signed by Carlos Machado Jiménez, who has hands-on construction experience on residential job sites. He is not a licensed contractor, engineer or inspector. That is why every figure is cited, and why each guide tells you when a job needs a licensed professional, a permit or an inspection.
7. Updates and corrections
Prices are reviewed at least once a year, and the year in each title changes only after the figures have been checked again. Each guide shows its last-updated date. If you were quoted something very different from our range, tell us what, where and when: it is the most useful correction we can get.