How we estimate costs

Every comparison on this site is built the same way, from the same kinds of sources, so the numbers are comparable from one service to the next. This page explains the method. If you think a figure is wrong, tell us and we'll check it.

Pro costs

A professional's price is labor plus equipment plus overhead plus margin. We estimate it from:

• Wages — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), for the specific trade (for example, Tree Trimmers and Pruners, SOC 37-3013).
• Contractor rate surveys and published price ranges from service marketplaces, used to calibrate the labor-to-price multiplier for each trade.
• Job-size tiers — each service is broken into 2–4 tiers (for example, tree height) with a low / typical / high range per tier, because "a tree removal" can legitimately cost $200 or $3,000.

Ranges are national. Regional pages, where we have them, adjust these using local wage data and the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities, with the math shown on the page.

DIY costs

We itemize what you would actually spend, not just materials:

• Tools — each one listed with a buy or rent price from a national retailer or rental counter. Tools most homeowners already own (a ladder, a drill) are flagged and excluded from the headline "must-buy" number, but included in the "starting from nothing" number.
• Materials and consumables.
• Disposal — dump fees, haul-away, or bagging.
• Permits — where they commonly apply.
• Time — a realistic hour range for a first-timer, not an expert. We show what your time would have to be worth for DIY to break even.

Hidden costs and risk

Some costs don't show up on a receipt: injury risk, damage to your property or a neighbor's, insurance consequences, code violations, and the cost of a pro fixing a DIY attempt. We describe these plainly for each service and factor them into the verdict, even though they can't be reduced to a single number.

The verdict

Each service gets one of three calls: DIY, it depends, or hire a pro, with the specific conditions that would flip it. The verdict weighs money saved against skill required, risk, time, and how expensive a mistake is.

Freshness

Every page shows a "last reviewed" date. Cost data is re-checked at least quarterly and whenever a source publishes new figures (BLS wage data updates annually each spring).

What we don't do

• We don't provide quotes. Get at least three written estimates before hiring anyone.
• We don't accept payment from contractors, and we don't rank or recommend specific companies.
• We don't publish a number we can't point to a source for.