Buyer-side / Quote check / United States

Check the quote before you sign.

Upload the quote. We check every line against U.S. public cost data, local wherever the data are local, show you the source of each number, and tell you what to ask the contractor. We are paid by homeowners only.

One quote per order, PDF, JPG or PNG, up to 5 pages / No account / No contractor fees / Location data stripped from photos / Files deleted within 30 days
No quote yet? Start with a free Quick Estimate or a Detailed Estimate.

2,849,829

Public cost records in USCCDB v1.0

2,375

Public sources, each with its URL

Taken from contractors

SHA-256

Receipt on every report

What it finds

One roof quote. Five things worth asking about.

From the sample report below: an invented $19,872 quote for a 24-square roof in Austin, checked against U.S. public data.

A roofer carrying a bundle of shingles across a roof — Shingles, 26 squares+$2,116over an import-based floor for these shingles. Freight and any brand premium are not in the floor, so ask for the brand and the supplier invoice.

Labor, 72 hours+$2,172above Austin roofer wages, loaded with the insurance, tax and markup TxDOT allows on labor.

A worker writing on a clipboard over building plans — Permit line$450Austin exempts most shingle-over-shingle re-roofs on one- and two-family homes from a building permit. Ask whether one will be pulled.

Overhead and profit20%overlaps markups already inside the references. Compare totals, not this line alone.

No public benchmark2 linesTear-off and the mixed underlayment line. Said plainly, with the question to ask.

Receiptsha256Every number can be recomputed from the report file and the listed sources.

Sample report

What you get back.

The quote below is invented for this page. Every reference value is computed from U.S. public data as of September 2026, the way your report would be.

Quoted total

$19,872

Above reference

+$4,288

Permit, often exempt

$450

No public benchmark

2 lines

Roof replacement / Austin, TX 78745 / 24 squares, 1 layer tear-off
Line	Quoted	Public reference	Status	Src
Architectural shingles, 26 squaresShingle weight on the product sheet: 240 lb per square. Floor: the import cost of asphalt roofing carried to a contractor price with one wholesale margin and the materials markups state DOTs pay contractors (15% to 25%). Freight to the site and any brand premium are not in the floor, so the real gap is smaller than shown. Ask for the brand, the product line and the supplier invoice.	$4,420	floor $2,120 to $2,304	ABOVE FLOOR +$2,116	2 3 4 5
Labor, 3 roofers x 3 days (72 hours)$90 per hour quoted. Reference: roofer wages in the Austin metro (mean $24.08, 90th percentile $33.24 per hour), loaded with the insurance, tax and markup TxDOT allows on labor (x1.80). Ask for crew size and hours.	$6,480	$3,121 to $4,308	ABOVE +$2,172	1 2
Tear-off and disposalNo public benchmark for landfill and dumpster fees in our data. Ask for dumpster size and the landfill fee.	$3,360	none	NO PUBLIC DATA
Underlayment, flashing, ventsMixed line. Ask for it to be split by item and quantity so each part can be checked.	$1,850	none	NO PUBLIC DATA
PermitFor a one- or two-family home inside the Austin city limits, no building permit is required to replace asphalt shingles with asphalt shingles, unless the home is in the Wildland-Urban Interface area and half or more of the roof is replaced. Ask whether a permit will be pulled, and for the city receipt.	$450	often exempt	ASK	7
Overhead and profit, 20%Our labor and materials references already include public-works markups, so this line overlaps them. Compare totals, not this line alone.	$3,312	in references	OVERLAPS	2 5
Total	$19,872		Context: material prices +10.1% in 12 months [6]

Receipt sha256 5f59307d0da2ab5179fab418045cd0b1177658777aff37cc360d3b86f762b4f9 / data version 2026-09-26T12:28:45Z / recompute it from the report file and the sources below

Public-works figures and wage statistics are not residential quotes. We use them as references, show you exactly how each one was computed, and say plainly when there is no public benchmark. Your decision stays yours.

Check my quote See the sources

How it works

Three steps. No sales call.

Upload the quote and your ZIP code
A PDF, a photo or pasted text. You can black out your name and address first. We strip location data from photos.
We read every line and find the public data
Local wage statistics, import and distribution-chain prices, the markups state DOTs pay contractors, and permit records where your city publishes them. Each reference carries its source and its formula.
You get a ledger and the questions to ask
Lines above the reference, lines within it, and lines with no public benchmark, all stated. Then the specific questions that make a contractor explain the difference.

Scope

What we do. What we do not.

We do

Compare each line of a quote with U.S. public cost data
Show the source, date and formula of every reference
Flag lines that are vague, bundled or missing
Give you questions to ask the contractor
Say "no public data" when there is none

We do not

Inspect your home or judge its condition
Give engineering, code or legal advice
Prepare or negotiate insurance claims
Bid, negotiate with or recommend contractors
Promise that you will save money

Pricing

One-time prices. No subscription.

Prices are in U.S. dollars and include all fees. Sales tax, where it applies, is shown before you pay.

Plan	Price	Includes	Action
Quick Estimate	$0	Trade, ZIP code and job size, no file needed The public-data range we have for your area, with sources What a complete quote for the job should list No account, no email required	Start free
Quote Check	$39per quote	Every line in a reference ledger, like the sample Source, date and formula for each reference Questions to ask the contractor SHA-256 receipt you can recompute One quote per order; order again for each additional quote Within one business day	Check a quote
Detailed Estimate	$119one job, before quotes	A line-item estimate built from your measurements, photos and description Quantities and a public reference range for each line A scope list to send contractors, so their quotes can be compared Lines with no public data, stated Within two business days	Get an estimate

We work only from what you send. We do not visit, measure or inspect your home, and an estimate is not a bid.

Full refund if you cancel before we start, if we find no usable public data for your trade and ZIP code, if we deliver late, or if we cannot read your file. If a report contains a material error, we correct it within three business days or, if you prefer, refund it. Refund policy

Start

No quote yet? Start here.

See the public data for your trade and area for free, or order a Detailed Estimate to send contractors the same scope.

Independence

Homeowners pay us. Contractors don't.

Many free home-cost sites earn their money from contractors, who pay for each homeowner lead. Published lead prices run from about $15 to $150 each, depending on the trade and whether the lead is exclusive (Fixr, LeadTruffle).

We take no referral fees, no lead fees, no listing fees and no commissions from contractors. Our only job is to read the quote the way you would if you had the data.

HORIZON SHIELD is run by The HORIZONs Co., Ltd., Tokyo. It was founded by Toshikatsu Oga, a carpenter with 30 years on job sites, who built the same buyer-side check for homeowners in Japan.

Data

Every number has a source.

Our U.S. data are published as an open dataset: USCCDB v1.0, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22979157, CC BY 4.0. The distribution-chain estimates are computed on request and every row carries its formula.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan areas. Roofers (SOC 47-2181), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public domain.
Standard Specifications 2024, Item 9, Articles 9.7.1.1 to 9.7.1.3: labor markup 25%, insurance and taxes 55% (both on base wages), materials 25%. Texas Department of Transportation.
U.S. imports for consumption, HS 6807.90.0010, January to July 2026, landed duty-paid. U.S. Census Bureau, IMDB 2026-07.
Annual Integrated Economic Survey 2024, gross margins, wholesale (NAICS 423330) and retail (NAICS 444110). U.S. Census Bureau.
Force-account markups: Caltrans Standard Specifications 9-1.04C, materials 15%; FDOT Standard Specifications FY 2026-27, 4-3.2.1(4)(a), a single 17.5% markup on labor, materials and equipment. Caltrans; Florida Department of Transportation.
Producer Price Index, Construction Materials (WPUSI012011), August 2026: 375.908, +10.1% year on year. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED.
Work Exempt from Building Permits: asphalt shingle replacement. City of Austin Development Services Department.

FAQ

Questions.

Is this a verdict that my quote is fair or unfair?

No. It is a price benchmark. We compare each line with public data and show how far apart they are, with the source of every number. Public-works figures and wage statistics are not residential quotes, and a contractor can have good reasons to differ. The report tells you where to ask.

Which trades and places do you cover?

Wage statistics cover every state and most metro areas. Price indexes are national. Import and distribution-chain estimates cover common building materials. Permit valuation records cover the cities that publish them, currently Austin, Boston, New Orleans, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. When we have no public data for a line, the report says so.

What happens to my file?

We use it only to prepare your report. We strip location data from photos, delete uploaded files within 30 days of upload, keep your report for 12 months so you can download it again, and do not use your uploads to train AI models. We do not sell or share your personal information. See the Privacy Policy.

Do you visit or inspect my home?

No. We work only from the quote, measurements, photos and description you send. We do not inspect property or judge its condition. For that, hire a licensed home inspector in your state.

Can you estimate a job before I ask for quotes?

Yes. A Detailed Estimate turns your measurements, photos and description into line items, each with a public reference range, and gives you a scope list to send contractors so their quotes line up. It is a cost reference, not a bid, and it is only as complete as the information you give us.

Do you work with contractors or get paid by them?

No. We take no referral, lead, listing or success fees, and we do not recommend contractors. Homeowners are our only customers.

Can you help with an insurance claim?

No. We do not prepare, submit or negotiate insurance claims. In many states that work requires a public adjuster license. Our report is price information only.

Is AI involved?

Yes. AI reads the quote and matches each line to public data. The numbers themselves come from the listed sources and fixed formulas, and every report carries a receipt so the calculation can be checked.