How we check

Real published prices, dated. What each tier gets you. A local business you can call.

Pick a place and a question

One job or one decision in one town: what a kitchen remodel costs in Calabasas, what drain cleaning runs in Iowa City, which agency to call.

Pull real, published prices

We use prices companies post on their own websites and named cost guides, and we put the date on every number.

Break it down by tier

What each price tier actually gets you, what moves the number up or down, and the permits, rules and local quirks to plan for.

Name a business worth calling

Every guide ends with a local business you can call. Business Spotlights go deeper, and the ones that pass earn the Vibe Check award.

Where the prices come from

Published prices. Price tiers come from the pricing pages local businesses publish, and each guide says whose.
Comparisons. When a guide compares companies, every number is as published on that company's own website, with the month we checked.
Benchmarks. National and state averages are credited to their source on the page, like This Old House, SEO.com or a named cost guide.
Dates. Every guide carries the year, and prices change. Treat them as ballpark ranges and get a written estimate for your own project.

The business we name

Each guide ends with a local business you can call, and the description says who and how to reach them. Our Business Spotlight series goes deeper on one business at a time, and the businesses that pass earn the Vibe Check award.