HomeCostFacts exists to answer one question as honestly as the numbers allow: what does this actually cost? That means every figure on this site has to earn its place. Here’s how we do it.
How we research costs
We build every article from authoritative and primary sources — places like fred.stlouisfed.org, census.gov, bls.gov, nar.realtor, energy.gov, and irs.gov. When we cite a material cost, a labor rate, a regional price trend, or a tax figure, it’s tied to data published by one of these sources or a comparably credible one, not to a competitor’s blog post or a contractor’s sales page.
Cost figures on HomeCostFacts are estimates drawn from public data. They’re a starting point for a conversation with a contractor, not a quote. A national average per-square-foot number tells you almost nothing about your specific roofline, your local permit fees, or what’s hiding under your old shingles — we say that plainly in the articles themselves, not just here.
Fact-checking and sourcing
Every number in an article — every price, rate, percentage, or statistic — has to trace back to a specific cited source. This isn’t a courtesy step; it’s mechanical. A fact-check gate blocks publication of any article containing a figure that isn’t sourced. If a number can’t be tied to something verifiable, it doesn’t run, full stop.
That doesn’t make the numbers infallible — data gets revised, prices move, sources update their methodology. It means nothing gets published on faith or on a writer’s gut feel about "roughly what things cost."
Originality and independence
We don’t rephrase government reports or industry data and call it an article. An originality check screens every piece before publication to catch content that copies source wording too closely. The analysis — what the numbers mean for a homeowner deciding between a repair and a full replacement, why two quotes for the "same job" can differ by thousands — is written fresh, built on the cited data rather than lifted from it.
Corrections and updates
Source data changes. Interest rates move, material costs shift, agencies revise prior estimates. When that happens, we update the affected figures rather than leaving stale numbers live. Articles are reviewed before they publish, and we treat updating them after publication as part of the job, not an exception to it.
If you find a number that looks wrong, outdated, or mis-sourced, tell us through the contact page — corrections from readers who know their local market are genuinely useful, and we take them seriously.
How we make money
HomeCostFacts is supported by advertising and may include affiliate links to products or services. That funds the research and writing, full stop — it doesn’t steer it. A contractor, manufacturer, or retailer doesn’t get better numbers for buying an ad, and no article is written or edited to favor an advertiser’s product. The cost research comes from the sources listed above, not from who’s paying for banner space that week.