Matt Kovalik

I've been a licensed electrician in Minnesota since 2016, and I currently work as an electrician for Metro Transit in the Twin Cities metro as a member of ATU Local 1005. I built NailThePrice because most home improvement cost guides are written by marketers and SEO companies, not people who actually work in the trades. Homeowners deserve access to the kind of real-world information that usually stays gated behind contractor conversations, vague estimates, and sales appointments.

Since 2016, I've worked on hundreds of residential projects across Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs — panel upgrades, EV chargers, rewiring, 240V circuits, lighting, service work, and problem-solving in older homes. My day-to-day at Metro Transit is now heavily focused on maintenance, troubleshooting, and new equipment installs.

A big part of what I write about comes from seeing how often homeowners either get oversold or get incomplete information online. A lot of electrical advice on the internet technically sounds correct while completely ignoring what actually happens in the field. I try to write the electrical guides on NailThePrice the same way I'd explain the project to a friend or family member, including where the real costs usually come from, what shortcuts cause problems later, and when a homeowner probably doesn't need the expensive option they're being pushed toward.

Outside of electrical work, I run Kovalik Digital LLC, the company behind NailThePrice and a few other practical reference sites for everyday consumer decisions.