Free guides for trades

What should you actually charge?

Every pricing article on the internet answers this with a national average. We think that is the wrong answer — it is an average of other people’s costs, and none of them pay your insurance. So each of these shows what the published figures really say, how far apart they are, and then works out your own rate from your own numbers.

Each guide comes with a rate book PDF: the full line-item checklist for that trade with a blank column for your rates. Free, and there is no email form.

Plumbing

How much should a plumber charge?

Published rates run from $45 to $200 an hour, and two national sources price the same water heater replacement $2,000 apart.

Read the guideDownload the rate book PDFQuoting app for plumbing

Electrical

How much should an electrician charge?

One source starts electricians at $50 an hour, another at $75 and runs to $150. Panel upgrades are published anywhere from $850 to $4,500.

Read the guideDownload the rate book PDFQuoting app for electrical

HVAC

How much should an HVAC contractor charge?

The widest spread of any trade: the same 3-ton system is $7,200 in Mississippi and $15,800 in Alaska.

Read the guideDownload the rate book PDFQuoting app for hvac

Roofing

How much should a roofer charge per square?

Installed asphalt is published at $350 to $1,200 a square. Labour is about 65% of the job, so most of that spread is crew cost, pitch and access.

Read the guideDownload the rate book PDFQuoting app for roofing

Looking for a document to fill in instead? Browse the free estimate templates.