Editorial Policy
How Plain Home Costs researches, writes, checks and corrects its calculators and guides, how we handle cost data, and how we use AI tools.
Our job is to give homeowners accurate, specific numbers, and to show where they came from.
How a guide is made
- Primary sources first. We work from building codes, federal rules and manufacturer documents, and link them in a Sources section at the end of each guide.
- Math you can check. Each calculator states its formula and works through an example. Automated tests check the math against those examples.
- Rules of thumb are labeled. Where a figure is an estimate or planning allowance, we say so.
- Dated. Each guide shows the date it was last updated.
Facts we haven't confirmed are held back. Our publishing system won't publish a page that still contains an unverified fact.
How we handle prices
We don't publish a cost range until it has sources and dates and has been checked against real quotes. We don't copy other sites' price ranges or publish unsourced averages. Cost guides will say what they're based on, including how many real quotes support them.
Use of AI tools
We use AI tools to help research, draft and check our pages. Every figure is checked against the cited source, and nothing is published without human review. We don't create author profiles for people who aren't real.
Updates and corrections
If you spot an error, contact us. We verify it against the source and correct the page, usually within a few business days.
Independence
Advertisers never decide what we cover or what we say. We never accept payment to change, rank or remove content.