Source selection
We prioritize current U.S. cost guides that expose a review date, a method-level or per-unit price, and enough context to understand what the number represents. Current launch references include Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, FoundationSage and RestoreAdvisor.
One publisher rarely defines the market. When credible sources overlap, RepairGauge uses a cross-source planning envelope. When they disagree materially, we use the wider defensible range and link the underlying references instead of silently choosing the most convenient number.
Calculator models
RepairGauge does not use a hidden “AI price.” Each calculator is arithmetic built from the ranges listed in the public Cost Index.
Unit price × the quantity you enter + any selected structural-engineer and permit allowances. A symptom can preselect a repair family for convenience, but that suggestion is not a diagnosis.
Affected area × the published mitigation rate for Category 1, 2 or 3 water + rebuild area × the published reconstruction range. Standing water is treated as an urgency/scope signal and is not double-charged as a second generic extraction fee.
Drainage length × the published interior or exterior drainage range + any selected sump-pump or battery-backup add-ons.
Location data
State and ZIP currently do not change calculator output. They are shown for context and may be stored only when a user intentionally submits a provider-match request or anonymous quote contribution.
We removed broad state multipliers because they implied more local precision than the evidence justified. RepairGauge will introduce local price adjustments only after enough reviewed quote observations exist for a market and the sample size and methodology can be disclosed.
Observed quote data
Users can optionally contribute a contractor price through the quote checker. The pasted quote text itself stays in the browser. Submitted price observations are stored separately from editorial source ranges and are not published as local statistics until they are reviewed and sufficiently numerous to avoid misleading conclusions.
Publishing standard
RepairGauge does not publish a page merely because a keyword exists. A money page must add a useful calculator, source trail, data table, scope explanation, comparison guidance, or another concrete reason for a homeowner to use it.
Automation can assist research and maintenance, but we do not mass-publish unreviewed AI pages, fabricate local data, invent expert reviewers, or create hundreds of near-identical city pages. Location pages will only be justified by meaningful local evidence or genuinely distinct homeowner information.
Update cadence
Money pages display a review date. Source changes are checked when discovered, and the core cost dataset receives a broader review at least quarterly while RepairGauge is young. A page’s sitemap lastmod date is changed only when its primary content or pricing changes materially.
Commercial independence
RepairGauge may earn money when a homeowner explicitly requests a provider introduction. A provider cannot pay to change a calculator output, cost-guide range, source selection or editorial conclusion.