Home Repair Cost & Contractor Watch

Track US home repair and replacement costs. Report only confirmed, source-backed items from the last 7 days: lumber, copper, steel, asphalt shingle, drywall and HVAC equipment price moves of 5 percent or more from Random Lengths, BLS producer price data and industry associations; DOE efficiency standards and EPA refrigerant rules with dates and cost effects; state contractor board license suspensions, revocations and post-storm scam alerts; permit fee and process changes in the 50 largest cities; state and FTC actions against home warranty companies including American Home Shield, Choice, First American and Select; and newly published cost benchmarks for roofs, HVAC, water heaters, windows, siding, decks, foundations, plumbing, electrical panels and driveways. Prefer price index publishers, DOE, EPA, state licensing boards, city permit offices and established home reporting; ignore contractor advertising. Put the material, state or company first in the title with the number. Use high severity for a price move of 10 percent or more, a rule taking effect within 90 days, or a scam alert after a declared disaster. Return no more than 6 findings. Push each as a finding with a title, a two-sentence summary, sections for what changed, who it affects, what to do, the date, and the source link. If nothing qualifies, push nothing and submit the run receipt.