About NailThePrice
Accurate, local cost data for homeowners who want real numbers — not guesswork.
Why We Built This
If you've ever searched "how much does it cost to install a new roof?" you've probably run into the same frustrating answer: "It depends." That's technically true — but it's not helpful.
NailThePrice was built to fix that. We combine national cost data with local labor rates, cost-of-living adjustments, and regional factors to give you an estimate that actually reflects what contractors charge in your city — not some vague national average.
Who's Behind NailThePrice
Matt Kovalik
Matt Kovalik is a licensed electrician and software developer based in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota). He built NailThePrice to solve a problem he saw firsthand in the trades — homeowners consistently overpay for projects because they don't know what the job should cost in their market.
Every estimate on this site uses the same data sources contractors use to price jobs: regional labor rates, material costs, and local permit requirements. The goal is simple — give homeowners the information they need to make confident decisions and negotiate fair prices.
Our Data & Methodology
Our cost estimates are calculated using the NailThePrice Local Cost Model — a localization system that adjusts national average costs based on city-specific factors:
- Cost-of-living adjustment: BEA Regional Price Parities (all-items, 2024).
- Labor adjustment: my own estimate from a licensed electrician's trade experience and general U.S. wage patterns. Not live data.
- Permit costs: researched municipal fee schedules for select cities, modeled estimates elsewhere, labeled.
- Climate notes: regional groupings used for project recommendations only. They do not affect price.
- Rebates: sourced individually, with a citation per entry.
Each page also factors in the local contractor market — union presence, seasonal demand, and metro area competition — to provide context beyond raw numbers.
How Our Estimates Work
Each project starts with a national price range I set from industry pricing and my own experience in the trades. I adjust that range for your city using two regional factors. The cost-of-living adjustment is the BEA Regional Price Parity (all-items, 2024 release) for your metro, applied at reduced weight on the material side because building materials vary less regionally than overall living costs. The labor adjustment is my own estimate from trade experience and general wage patterns, not computed from a live dataset. These are budgeting estimates, not quotes.
We cover everything from quick weekend projects like installing a smart thermostat to major renovations like a full kitchen remodel. Each project page includes low, average, and high estimates, plus details on what factors drive costs up or down.
What We're Not
NailThePrice is not a contractor marketplace and we're not trying to sell you anything. We're a free resource built for homeowners who want to understand what a project should cost before they pick up the phone. When you're ready to hire, we can point you toward trusted platforms to get quotes — but that's always your call.
Always Improving
We're constantly expanding our coverage — adding new projects, new cities, and refining our cost models as market conditions change. If there's a project you'd like us to cover or a city we're missing, we'd love to hear from you on our Contact page.
Contact
Questions or feedback? Email Matt directly at matt@nailtheprice.com.
Published March 2025 · Updated May 13, 2026