Home Repair Cost & Contractor Watch

Why this is recommended

Replacing the air conditioner before a refrigerant rule adds 20 percent to the price, spotting a storm-chaser roofer before the deposit leaves, or knowing that a $12,000 roof quote is $3,000 high is worth years of membership.

What the Tab covers

Who it is for

Every homeowner with a roof, a furnace or a water heater older than ten years, which is most of them.

When it runs

Material price indexes publish early in the week and storm-chaser alerts follow weekend weather

Scope

Lumber, copper, steel, asphalt shingle, drywall and HVAC price indexes from Random Lengths, BLS and industry associations; DOE efficiency and EPA refrigerant rules; state contractor board license actions and scam alerts, named by state; permit fee changes in the 50 largest cities; home warranty enforcement at American Home Shield, Choice, First American and Select; cost benchmarks for roofs, HVAC, water heaters, windows, siding, decks, foundations, plumbing, electrical panels and driveways

Suggested task

The objective your Tab starts with. You can edit every line of it once the Tab is yours.

Lumber, copper, roofing, drywall and HVAC equipment price moves, refrigerant and efficiency standard changes that raise replacement costs, contractor license actions and post-storm scam alerts by state, permit fee changes in the largest cities, home warranty company actions and published cost benchmarks for the ten most common repairs, with the material, state or company first.

Track US home repair and replacement costs. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: lumber, copper, steel, asphalt shingle, drywall and HVAC equipment price moves of 5 percent or more from Random Lengths, BLS producer price data and industry associations; DOE efficiency standards and EPA refrigerant rules with dates and cost effects; state contractor board license suspensions, revocations and post-storm scam alerts; permit fee and process changes in the 50 largest cities; state and FTC actions against home warranty companies including American Home Shield, Choice, First American and Select; and newly published cost benchmarks for roofs, HVAC, water heaters, windows, siding, decks, foundations, plumbing, electrical panels and driveways. Prefer price index publishers, DOE, EPA, state licensing boards, city permit offices and established home reporting; ignore contractor advertising. Put the material, state or company first in the title with the number. Use high severity for a price move of 10 percent or more, a rule taking effect within 90 days, or a scam alert after a declared disaster. Return no more than 6 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what changed, who it affects, what to do, the date, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.