How We Price Things

Cost ranges

Every job has a low and a high total, a stated billing basis and an assumed labour-hour count. The calculator applies a material-grade factor (budget 0.85, standard 1.00, premium 1.35) and a metro wage factor derived from trade wage differentials, not from collected quotes. Expect plus or minus 10 percent on top.

Symptom frequencies

The percentages describe how often each cause is reported for that symptom. They sum to 100 percent by construction, which makes them a triage order, not a diagnosis.

Repair or replace

Repair when the fix costs under 50 percent of a replacement and the unit is under 70 percent through its expected life. Payback is the replacement price minus the repair price, divided by the yearly saving from the new unit.

Refresh policy

The dataset is re-checked quarterly. Every page shows its own verification date, and pages past 120 days display a visible warning rather than quietly serving stale prices.

What we do not do

No invented reviews. No “we tested 40 models” claims from anyone who has not. No lead forms sold to the lowest bidder. Where we link to a part or a service and earn a commission, the page says so at the top.