Editorial standards, sources and corrections

Who publishes the site

ReplaceCost is written and maintained by Mantu Kumar, who founded the site and is responsible for its research, calculator logic, sources, disclosures and corrections. Questions and corrections reach a real person, not a queue.

One thing is stated plainly because it matters more than a byline: Mantu Kumar is not a roofing contractor, insurance adjuster, engineer, attorney, accountant or licensed insurance professional, and this site does not claim otherwise. The work here is research and arithmetic done carefully in the open, with every source linked so you can check it rather than trust it. Where a question needs a licensed professional, the page says so. If a qualified outside reviewer contributes in the future, that person and their credential will be named only after verification and with their permission.

Mantu KumarFounder and editor. Responsible for research, calculator logic, page updates, disclosures and corrections.

What every calculator page should show

Source selection

Primary public sources are preferred for legal, tax, insurance, labor, energy and technical definitions. Examples include the IRS, Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, state insurance departments and recognized standards organizations.

Commercial cost publishers and contractor marketplaces can help establish a broad market comparison, but their figures may exclude product, labor, removal, permit, trim or repair items. ReplaceCost should name the scope difference instead of presenting unlike numbers as equivalent. A commercial source is not described as independent government evidence.

Calculation and review process

1. Define the user question. The page should answer a specific replacement or claim-gap query, not merely repeat a keyword.
2. Choose the trade unit. The calculation begins with the unit used for that project and separates major scope lines.
3. Check evidence. Definitions and sensitive current claims are checked against the most direct authoritative source available.
4. Test outputs. Representative combinations are checked for order, arithmetic, impossible values and consistency between the written explanation and calculator.
5. Publish the limitations. A planning range must not be presented as a quote, appraisal, tax result or coverage decision.

The detailed formulas, regional treatment and insurance model are documented on the methodology page.

AI-assisted work

Software and AI tools may assist with drafting, code, design, consistency checks and test generation. They are not treated as a source of fact or professional authority. Source selection, calculator assumptions, legal or tax statements and final publication decisions must be checked against the cited material before release.

Insurance content standard

Most of this site touches insurance, so the standard for that content is set out separately. Anything published here about actual cash value, replacement cost value, depreciation, recoverable depreciation, deductibles or the gap between a quote and a first check is educational. It describes how policies commonly work. It does not determine whether a loss is covered, predict what an insurer must pay, or substitute for reading your own declarations page.

Three rules follow from that. Coverage is never stated as certain: the language used is what a policy may do, not what yours will do. Worked examples are labeled as examples and every input is shown, so a reader can tell an illustration from a promise. And where an outcome turns on state law or policy wording rather than arithmetic, the page names the statute or the policy provision instead of generalizing from one state to the country.

No page on this site should ever read as an argument to file a claim. Where the arithmetic suggests filing would gain a homeowner little, that is stated plainly, even though the site earns nothing from a reader who decides not to proceed.

Corrections policy

Corrections are prioritized by possible harm: incorrect insurance or tax guidance first, then calculation errors, broken tools, stale rates, misleading scope comparisons, accessibility problems and minor wording. A material correction should update the visible page, relevant calculator copy, structured data and review date together.

Readers can report an issue through the contact page. A written quote, policy excerpt or public source is helpful, but personal account numbers, addresses and claim identifiers should be removed. Submitting feedback does not create a professional-client relationship and does not guarantee an individual response.

What to include in an error report

A report that contains the following can be checked in minutes rather than guessed at. Anything missing usually means the assumption cannot be traced, and the report ends up parked rather than fixed.

• The page address, and the calculator name if a tool is involved
• The exact inputs you used, including footprint, material, age and deductible where they apply
• The result the page gave, and the figure or statement you believe is wrong
• What you are comparing it against — a written quote, a carrier estimate, a declarations page or a published source
• Why you think the difference is a model problem rather than a local one

Not every report leads to a change. Some differences are correctly explained by scope, region or policy wording. Where a report is not adopted, the reasoning should be given rather than the report simply going unanswered.

Dates

A review or updated date changes only when the page was actually reviewed or changed. Dates are not refreshed to make a page look current, because a date that moves without the content moving is a false signal to both readers and search engines.

Conflicts of interest

Mantu Kumar holds no ownership interest, referral arrangement, commission or paid relationship with any contractor, roofing company, insurer, adjuster or lead-generation service named or linked on this site. If that changes, or if any future contributor holds such a relationship, it will be disclosed on the affected page next to the relevant content rather than in a general notice.

Advertising, affiliate links and independence

ReplaceCost may be funded by advertising and clearly identified affiliate or referral links. Payment, click activity or advertiser participation must not alter calculator inputs, rates, formulas, result order or editorial conclusions. Commercial links should be labeled close to the link, and any material relationship should be disclosed.

Advertisers and referral partners do not receive the values typed into a calculator from the calculator itself. Advertising and analytics technologies may have separate data practices described in the privacy policy.

Professional and geographic limits

The site is designed for general U.S. homeowner planning. Local codes, product availability, licensing rules, tax treatment, insurance policy language, matching requirements and labor conditions vary. ReplaceCost is not a substitute for a licensed contractor, engineer, appraiser, public adjuster, attorney, tax professional, insurance agent or state regulator.