Why This Site Exists
Most homeowners find out what a roof or a new HVAC system "should" cost after they’ve already signed a contract. By then, the only thing left to do is hope the number they agreed to was fair. HomeCostFacts exists to move that moment earlier — to give people a real number, backed by real data, before they call the first contractor.
We cover the big-ticket home projects that catch people off guard: bathroom remodels, foundation repair, HVAC replacement, kitchen remodels, roof replacement, solar panel installation, water heater replacement, and window replacement. These are the jobs where the price range between "fair" and "you got taken" can run into the thousands, and where a homeowner asking good questions can close that gap fast.
Who We’re Writing For
This site is for the homeowner staring at three quotes that don’t match and trying to figure out which one is honest. It’s for the person who wants to know if $18,000 for a new roof is reasonable for their square footage and pitch, or whether that number is padded — or worse, missing something that will show up as a change order later.
We’re not writing for contractors selling jobs, and we’re not writing generic "home improvement inspiration" content. We’re writing for people trying to spend their money correctly, whether that means paying more for the job done right or walking away from a quote that doesn’t add up.
How We Research Costs
Every cost figure on this site traces back to public, verifiable data — not contractor marketing pages and not guesswork. We pull from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) system for labor and material cost trends, the U.S. Census Bureau for housing and construction data, the National Association of Realtors for resale and market context, the Department of Energy for equipment efficiency and energy-cost figures, and the IRS for tax credit and deduction rules that affect project costs.
We layer that public data against how these jobs are actually itemized in the trades — tear-off versus disposal, decking repair versus decking replacement, single-stage versus variable-speed equipment — because a national average number means very little until it’s broken down into the line items that actually drive a quote up or down.
What Makes It Trustworthy
We don’t publish a number we can’t point back to a source for. When a figure comes from BLS wage data or Census construction spending, we say so. When a cost range reflects how a project typically gets itemized in the field rather than a single government data point, we say that too, plainly, instead of dressing it up as something more precise than it is.
We’re also direct about the parts of this industry that cause the most homeowner regret: quotes that are missing line items, "too good to be true" bids that skip steps like ice-and-water shield or permit costs, and upsells that have little to do with the actual problem. Calling those out clearly is part of the job here, not an afterthought.
What This Site Is Not
HomeCostFacts doesn’t sell installations, doesn’t take referral fees from the contractors we discuss, and doesn’t rank "best companies." The only product here is a clear, sourced answer to the question every homeowner asks before a big project: what should this actually cost?