Cost Home Book is written and edited by the Cost Home Book editorial team. The team builds the site's cost models from publicly available US wage statistics, supplier price lists and permit data, and updates each guide as those sources change. It has no affiliation with any contractor, manufacturer or lead-generation service. Figures on this site are estimates for reading a quote, not quotes.
How the figures are built
Every cost band starts as a national figure with a date on it. Where a guide is priced from published data, the labor leg follows the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the trade that does the work, and the materials leg follows a Producer Price Index series for what it is made of. Once a guide's sources section is published, both are named and linked at its foot, with the release they were read from.
The one number no dataset supplies is how much of a job is labor and how much is materials. That split is a judgement, it is stated on the page, and it is the difference between a roof price that moves with roofers' wages and one that moves with asphalt. How we calculate costs sets out the arithmetic, and the editorial policy is explicit about which figures are derived and which are estimates.
Independence
We have no affiliation with any contractor, manufacturer, marketplace or lead-generation service. The site is funded by display advertising and nothing else — no referral fees, no commissions, no paid placements. No advertiser sees a figure before a reader does. How the site is funded.
Corrections and contact
If a figure here does not match what you were quoted, that is worth knowing and we would rather hear it. Send the page, the figure and what you were actually quoted to corrections@costhomebook.com, or see the corrections policy for what happens next. Anything else: hello@costhomebook.com.
Guides by the Cost Home Book editorial team
245 in total, page 5 of 25.
Hydroseeding cost$0.10 to $0.25per sq ftHydroseeding costs $0.10 to $0.25 a sq ft, typically $0.15, so $500 to $1,250 for a 5,000 sq ft lawn against $5,000 or more for sod. Soil preparation and watering decide whether it takes.
Lawn aeration cost$100 to $250eachCore aeration costs $100 to $250 for a 5,000 sq ft lawn, typically $160, or $250 to $550 with overseeding. Only compacted lawns need it yearly, and spike aeration is not worth paying for.
Lawn fertilization cost$50 to $120eachLawn fertilization costs $50 to $120 per application for a 5,000 sq ft lawn, typically $80, or $250 to $720 for a 5 to 6 round program. A $15 to $60 soil test decides how many rounds you need.
Lawn mowing service cost$35 to $75eachA lawn mowing service costs $35 to $75 a visit for a 5,000 sq ft lawn, typically $50, or $1,050 to $2,250 a season. Crews price by minutes on site, so beds, slopes and gate width matter more than size.
Lawn care cost$1,200 to $4,500per projectFull-service lawn care costs $1,200 to $4,500 a year for a 5,000 sq ft lawn, typically $2,400. Mowing is about two thirds of the bill, so season length and mowing frequency decide the price.
Foundation repair cost by state$5,000 to $30,000per projectThe same foundation repair costs $13,100 in Arkansas and $19,300 in Illinois. Foundation work is labor-heavy, so it tracks wages more closely than most trades.
Structural engineer cost$400 to $1,500eachA structural engineer's report costs $400 to $1,500. It is the best money anyone spends on a foundation problem, for one reason: an engineer does not sell repairs.
Foundation inspection cost$300 to $1,000eachA foundation inspection costs $300 to $1,000 from an independent inspector. Repair companies offer them free, and that is a sales visit that may also be a competent inspection.
Sump pump replacement cost$650 to $2,500per projectReplacing a sump pump in an existing pit costs $650 to $2,500, typically $1,200. The pump itself is only $100 to $700 of that.
Mudjacking cost$500 to $2,500eachMudjacking a settled slab costs $500 to $2,000 per area. It works when the concrete is intact and the ground under it has washed out. It does not work when the slab is broken.