# HORIZON SHIELD US

> HORIZON SHIELD US (horizonshield.dev) checks a U.S. contractor quote line by line against public cost data and prints the source and the formula beside every number. Paid by homeowners only; no referral fee, listing fee or commission from any contractor, distributor or insurer. Operated by The HORIZONs Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). This is the United States site; the Japanese service is a separate site and is not covered here.

Public data give a floor for materials and a reference for labor; they do not give a market price, and the pages say so. The free Quote Teardown reads a quote and asks what is missing; the $39 Quote Check compares every line against U.S. public data with sources, formulas and a sha256 receipt. Agents on the teardown page can call the WebMCP tools teardown_quote_text (pasted quote lines, optional ZIP and trade) and list_teardown_board. Data: USCCDB v1.0, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22979157, CC BY 4.0. MCP server: https://mcp.horizonshield.dev (cost data: https://ccdb.horizonshield.dev/mcp).

## Pages

- [Check a contractor quote against U.S. public cost data](https://horizonshield.dev/): Upload a quote (PDF or photo) or paste the lines. Quote Check $39 per quote, Detailed Estimate $119 for one job before quotes, Quick Estimate free. Labor is checked against BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025, metropolitan areas) with a state DOT loading (TxDOT Item 9: 25% labor markup plus 55% insurance and taxes on base wages); asphalt shingles against the Census import landed value (HS 6807.90.0010, IMDB 2026-07), the Census AIES 2024 wholesale gross margin and state DOT contractor markups (15% to 25%); permits against the city's exemption list. Every report carries a sha256 receipt. Data published as USCCDB v1.0, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22979157, CC BY 4.0.
- [Guides: reading a contractor quote with public data (hub)](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/): Six guides, one question each, every figure linked to the government record it comes from.
- [How much should a roof replacement cost in Austin, TX?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/roof-replacement-cost-austin-tx/): Public data do not give a market price. Shingle floor about $82 to $89 per square (Census import value $0.4667/kg, wholesale margin 28.35%, contractor markup 15% to 25%, 240 lb per square); loaded labor reference $43.34 to $59.83 per crew hour (BLS mean $24.08 and p90 $33.24 for roofers in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, times TxDOT loading 1.80). Tear-off, underlayment, flashing and overhead have no public benchmark.
- [Is my roofing quote too high?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/is-my-roofing-quote-too-high/): Not from the total. Five kinds of lines (labor, materials, permit, disposal, overhead); two can be checked against public data, one against the city's exemption list, two have no benchmark. Overhead added to labor that already carries the DOT loading is counted twice. Texas has no state roofing license (TDLR does not administer one; RCAT is voluntary).
- [The contractor says the price is only good today](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/price-good-only-today/): FTC Cooling-Off Rule, 16 CFR Part 429: sales of $25 or more made at your home can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day; the seller must give two copies of a cancellation form; refund within 10 business days. Not covered: sales entirely online, by mail or phone; prior negotiations at the seller's fixed retail location; buyer-initiated emergencies with a handwritten waiver.
- [Can a roofer waive my insurance deductible in Texas?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/roofer-waive-deductible-texas/): No. Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02: paying, waiving, absorbing or rebating the deductible is a Class B misdemeanor; contracts of $1,000 or more must carry the statutory notice in at least 12-point boldfaced type. Insurance Code 4102.163: a contractor may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on.
- [Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Austin, TX?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/roof-permit-austin/): Often not. City of Austin exempts asphalt shingles replacing asphalt shingles and any roof covering replacement that does not affect the structure (one and two family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories), unless in the Wildland-Urban Interface area with 50% or more replaced; roof decking up to 128 square feet is exempt.
- [How many squares is my roof?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/how-many-squares-is-my-roof/): A square is 100 square feet of roof surface. Footprint including overhangs times the pitch factor (1.054 for 4/12, 1.118 for 6/12, 1.202 for 8/12, 1.302 for 10/12, 1.414 for 12/12), divided by 100. Ask for measured squares and the waste percentage separately.
- [What do construction trades earn per hour in Austin, TX?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/trades-hourly-rates-austin-tx/): BLS OEWS May 2025 metro wages loaded with the TxDOT 1.80 factor, mean to 90th percentile per crew hour: roofers $43.34 to $59.83, painters $40.66 to $51.89, carpenters $46.60 to $60.75, electricians $52.65 to $68.22, plumbers $55.17 to $70.02, HVAC mechanics $55.33 to $79.78. References, not billing rates.
- [Overhead and profit on a contractor quote: how much is normal?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/overhead-and-profit-on-a-contractor-quote/): Public-works rules as the reference: TxDOT 25% on labor plus 55% insurance and taxes on base wages and 25% on materials; Caltrans 15% on materials; FDOT a single 17.5%. A separate overhead line on top of a loaded labor rate recovers the same costs twice.
- [How much deposit should I pay a contractor?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/contractor-deposit-how-much/): FTC: never the full amount up front. California: down payment not more than $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less, and payments may not exceed work performed (CSLB). Maryland: no payment before the contract is signed, deposit not more than one third (Bus. Reg. 8-617). Tie each payment to visible work; hold the final payment until the punch list and lien waiver.
- [Does my contractor need EPA lead certification?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/lead-paint-rrp-certified-contractor/): Homes built before 1978: the firm must be EPA or state certified and assign a certified renovator (40 CFR 745.89), give the lead pamphlet no more than 60 days before starting (745.84); minor repair exception 6 sq ft per interior room or 20 sq ft exterior, never window replacement or demolition (745.83); exempt only on a certified inspector's written lead-free determination (745.82).
- [The contractor says material prices went up. Is the increase justified?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/material-prices-up-is-my-quote-justified/): BLS PPI construction materials (WPUSI012011) 375.908 in August 2026 vs 341.458 in August 2025, +10.1%. A materials rise moves only the materials lines (about 32% of the sample roofing quote, so about 3.2% of the total); the shingle floor already reflects 2026 import prices.
- [How do I get contractor quotes I can compare?](https://horizonshield.dev/guides/scope-of-work-before-quotes/): Write one scope of work (quantities, products, inclusions, exclusions and allowances, permit, schedule, payment terms, cleanup, warranty, documents) and give every contractor the same page; two worked scopes (asphalt reroof, exterior repaint). Detailed Estimate ($119) writes it from measurements and photos.
- [Free Quote Teardown](https://horizonshield.dev/teardown/): Upload a contractor quote (PDF or photo, up to 3 pages, or paste the lines), optionally a ZIP code. Free, no account. Returns every line sorted by kind (labor, material, permit, disposal, overhead, other), lump-sum and allowance lines marked, overhead share, missing crew size or squares, the questions to send the contractor, and with a ZIP the BLS OEWS wage for the trade in that metro (TxDOT loading for Texas) and a labor-dollar range when the quote states crew hours. Not a fairness verdict, inspection or bid. Files and line text are not stored; only an anonymous card (trade, state, total, our own flags) is kept 24 hours if the homeowner chooses to post it.
- [Teardown Board](https://horizonshield.dev/board/): Anonymous teardowns that homeowners chose to post, reviewed before they appear. Each card: trade, state, total, line kinds, flags and questions. No names, addresses, contractor names or line text.
- [Quote Teardowns (series hub)](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/): Eight illustrative U.S. quotes, one line to question in each, every public number linked to its source.
- [Quote Teardown 01: $19,872 for a 24-square roof in Austin. Which line do I ask about?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/01/): An illustrative $19,872 Austin roof quote. The labor line works out to $75.00 per crew hour; BLS wages with the TxDOT loading give $43.34 to $59.83. The math and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 02: $14,850 for a 4-ton AC in Phoenix. Who decided it was 4 tons?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/02/): An illustrative $14,850 Phoenix HVAC quote sized "to match existing" with no load calculation. What the International Residential Code says about sizing, and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 03: $3,480 to replace a water heater in Hayward, CA. Which add-ons are required?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/03/): An illustrative $3,480 water heater quote in Hayward, CA, with an expansion tank, a permit and a haul-away. Which ones the city requires, and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 04: $16,560 for 12 windows in Chicago. Do I have 12, and what kind of install?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/04/): An illustrative $16,560 Chicago window quote: 12 windows at $1,150, insert or full-frame not stated, in a 1958 house where federal lead-safe rules apply. What to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 05: $9,800 to paint a 1952 house in Philadelphia. How many coats, and is it lead-safe?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/05/): An illustrative $9,800 exterior painting quote for a 1952 Philadelphia house: prep "as needed", coats not stated, no lead-safe work. The EPA rule and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 06: $28,400 for a bathroom in Seattle, with $4,650 in allowances. What happens when I pick more?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/06/): An illustrative $28,400 Seattle bathroom quote with $4,650 in allowances for tile, fixtures and the vanity. What an allowance buys, how overages work, and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 07: 20% overhead and profit on top of $65 an hour in Austin. Is it counted twice?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/07/): An illustrative Austin deck quote adds 20% overhead and profit to labor already priced at $65 an hour. BLS wages with the TxDOT loading, which already includes overhead and profit, and what to ask.
- [Quote Teardown 08: $12,400 in siding, but only if I sign tonight. What does the law say?](https://horizonshield.dev/teardowns/08/): An illustrative in-home siding quote with a sign-tonight discount. The FTC Cooling-Off Rule (16 CFR Part 429): three business days to cancel a sale of $25 or more made at your home.