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Spotted something wrong in a guide? Tell us and we'll fix it.

We would rather hear that a number is off than leave it wrong. Corrections, questions about a specific guide, or a repair you think we should cover are all welcome, and a correction with a source attached will usually be acted on the same week.

What to Include

For a correction, the page and the specific figure or claim you think is wrong is enough to get started, and a source is better still. Codes and prices both vary by region, so if something is correct where you are but wrong as written, that is worth knowing too. It usually means the page needs to say which jurisdiction it is describing rather than that the number is wrong.

For a suggestion, tell us the question you were trying to answer rather than the page you think should exist. The question is more useful, because it often turns out an existing guide should have answered it and did not.

What We Cannot Help With

We cannot diagnose a specific fault in your house by email. There is no way to assess a leak, a tripping breaker or a structural crack without seeing it, and guessing at one remotely would be worse than useless. The diagnostic guides are written to help you narrow a problem down and to judge a quote. For the actual work, you want a licensed trade who can look at it.

We also cannot tell you whether a specific contractor's quote is fair, beyond what the cost pages already set out. If a quote looks far outside the ranges published here, the useful next step is two more quotes rather than an opinion from us. Prices vary enormously by region, and three local numbers tell you more about your own market than any national range can.

Nor can we recommend a particular contractor. We do not take payment for placement and we have no referral arrangements, which means we have no roster to point you at. Your state licensing board is the useful place to verify that whoever you are considering holds a current licence and carries insurance.

If you have an active emergency, do not email. That means water you cannot stop, a smell of gas, a carbon monoxide alarm, or scorching around an outlet or panel. Shut off the supply if you safely can, and call a licensed trade or your utility's emergency line.