Editorial policy

Where figures come from

Two different things sit behind every number here, and they do not deserve the same confidence.

The state adjustment is derived from published data. Our regional multipliers come from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — mean hourly wages across six trades, in all fifty states, against the national mean. That is a calculation from a public dataset, and it can be reproduced.

The national ranges are our own estimates. They are compiled from market pricing and from how the trades actually quote each job. They have not been audited line by line against a single published price list, and we are not going to imply otherwise. Where a figure is built up from wage data rather than estimated — roofing labour, for instance — that is stated on the page itself.

Every figure carries the date it was compiled, on the page it appears.

Review

A cost page is reviewed when the underlying data moves materially, and at minimum once a year. The regional multipliers are regenerated when the BLS publishes a new OEWS release.

Corrections

When a published figure turns out to be wrong we change it and update the date. We do not quietly edit a number and leave the old date in place. Reader-submitted invoices are the most valuable correction we receive, and while the national ranges are estimates rather than audited figures they are the fastest way to make them better.

Advertising and independence

The people who write cost guides have no contact with advertisers, and no advertiser sees a figure before it is published. A contractor cannot pay to change a number, to appear in a guide, or to have a competitor removed.