Something in the house broke. Here is what it is, and what it should cost.
One homeowner question per page: what you are looking at, whether it is really broken, and the honest call. You can handle it, you need a pro at a fair price, or you shut something off now and call.
One of three honest answers
No cliffhangers and no upsell. Each guide names the condition, gives the real number, and lands on one of these.
A small part, a short job
We name the part, what it usually costs and how long it takes, so you know it is a Saturday fix and not a crisis. We do not write step-by-step repairs.
And here is a fair price
We explain what the job involves and what a reasonable quote includes, with every price dated and sourced, so you can read an estimate with a steady hand.
Then make the call
Some things cannot wait until morning. We tell you which valve or switch matters, that it is time to stop, and who to call.
Ten topics, answered properly
Pick the part of the house that is giving you trouble. Each topic starts with what you are looking at and ends with what it should cost.
In seasonWater and plumbingWater heatersNo hot water, a puddle at the base, or a tank near the end of its years.Read the guide
In seasonHeatingFurnacesShort cycling, an odd smell, or a furnace older than the kids.Read the guide
Water and plumbingWater softenersWhite crust on the faucets and spots on every glass.Read the guide
Water and plumbingToiletsA toilet that runs, rocks, weeps at the base or will not flush.Read the guide
Water and septicSeptic systemsSlow drains, a smell in the yard, or a pumping bill to check.Read the guide
Fire safetyDryer ventsLoads that take two cycles and a laundry room that runs hot.Read the guide
EnvelopeCrawl spacesMusty air, damp joists and a quote for encapsulation.Read the guide
EnvelopeInsulationCold rooms upstairs and a heating bill that keeps climbing.Read the guide
BasementSump pumpsA pump that cycles nonstop, hums, or sits silent before a storm.Read the guide
ExteriorGuttersWater over the edge, sagging runs, or a quote for new gutters.Read the guide
When it cannot wait until morning
Water coming through a ceiling, a tank that will not stop filling, a sump pit rising in a storm. The first job is not a repair. It is knowing what to turn off. Find these before you ever need them:
- The main water shutoff, usually where the line enters the house
- The cold supply valve on top of the water heater
- The small supply valve behind each toilet
- The breaker panel, and which breaker feeds the sump pump
If you smell gas, do not touch switches. Leave the house and call your gas utility from outside.
Where to start this month
Water heatersWhat a water heater replacement should cost, and how to read the quoteTank, tankless and heat pump water heaters: how to tell what you have, the signs it is failing, and what a fair replacement quote looks like.Read the guideHeatingFurnacesShort cycling, an odd smell, or a furnace older than the kids.Water and plumbingWater softenersWhite crust on the faucets and spots on every glass.Water and plumbingToiletsA toilet that runs, rocks, weeps at the base or will not flush.Water and septicSeptic systemsSlow drains, a smell in the yard, or a pumping bill to check.
Written for the kitchen table, not the sales call
iFixHouse is for two moments: the wet floor late at night, and the estimate in your hand a few months later. Both need the same thing, a calm person who tells you what it is and what it costs.
Read our editorial standards- 01
Every price carries a date and a source.
Repair costs change by region and by season. A number without a date is a guess, so we do not publish one.
- 02
Recognition, not repair manuals.
We show what the part looks like, what the failure sounds like and what it means. We never publish step-by-step repairs for gas, electrical panels, structure or asbestos.
- 03
We are not contractors.
Nobody pays us to send you their way, and we do not sell your number. If that ever changes, the page will say so plainly.
- 04
Codes are local.
What is allowed in one town may not be in the next. Where a permit or inspection usually applies, we say so and point you to your local office.
Name it. Price it. Decide.
Choose the system that is acting up and read the one page that answers it. Most questions take five minutes.