About RepairSmart
An educational cost and decision tool for homeowners who need a clear DIY vs. hire picture before they start a repair—or call a pro.
What we do
RepairSmart helps you:
- Estimate materials using a curated repair catalog and, when configured, US-wide retailer price lookups.
- Compare professional ranges from catalog baselines and optional regional cost signals near your ZIP.
- Score DIY vs. hire with weighted factors for difficulty, tools, time, risk, savings, and permits—adjusted by your skill level.
- Surface safety context such as hazards, stop conditions, common DIY mistakes, and when detailed steps are withheld.
Who it is for
Homeowners and renters (with landlord permission) who want a structured second look before spending money or opening walls. It is written for a general U.S. audience; local codes and prices still win.
How estimates work
Public repair pages and the interactive analyzer share the same catalog. SEO pages never call live pricing APIs on first paint; the ZIP analysis can enrich prices when third-party keys are configured. Full detail lives on our methodology page:
Data sources
- Repair catalog — Curated materials, baseline prices, difficulty, risk, times, and enrichment (steps, mistakes, hazards).
- Serper (optional) — Shopping and search results for materials and professional-cost context.
- DeepInfra (optional) — Symptom-to-repair matching for free-text triage; keyword fallback when disabled.
- Contractor directory (optional) — Imported licensed-directory data near a ZIP for “hire a pro” leads, when loaded.
Trust & editorial standards
- We label AI-assisted or unreviewed guidance; we do not claim professional review without a named reviewer and review date in product data.
- High-risk and many permit-required jobs do not receive DIY step publication.
- Results pages with personal ZIP analysis are
noindexto avoid thin, infinite URL combinations in search. - See Safety for stop conditions and review policy, and Methodology for scoring and pricing math.
What we do not do
- We do not visit your property or issue permits.
- We do not guarantee prices, timelines, or repair outcomes.
- We do not sell contractor leads as a marketplace auction in the current product (directory links are informational when present).
Privacy-minded by design
There are no user accounts or stored project histories. ZIP, repair selection, and optional symptom text are processed to run the analysis and operate the service. Details: Privacy Policy.