About Ballpark Lab
Two words, one promise. Ballpark is the honest part: a rough, in-the-right-range estimate before you ever talk to a salesperson. Lab is the rigorous part: every estimate is built from transparent data and formulas we publish openly.
Why we built it
Search for what almost anything costs and you land on a “free estimate” form designed to capture your phone number, not answer your question. The actual number is held hostage behind a callback.
We think you should be able to get a credible ballpark in a few seconds, for free, and see precisely how it was calculated. An informed homeowner asks better questions and gets better quotes. That is the whole idea.
How we work
- Show the math. Every result lists the assumptions and inputs behind it. If you change a number, you see why the estimate moves.
- Cite primary sources. We calibrate against government and industry data — not other blogs — and say where each figure comes from.
- Stay current.Data is refreshed quarterly, with a visible “last updated” date, and revised immediately when policy shifts the answer.
- Estimate, not quote. Our numbers are for pre-qualification and planning. A contractor’s site visit is still what produces a binding price.
One method, many topics
We start with solar and pools because the costs are large, the variables are knowable, and most existing tools are out of date or opaque. But the approach is deliberately niche-agnostic: pick a high-stakes purchase, model it from real data, and show the work. Expect more labs over time.
Who’s behind it
Ballpark Lab is built and maintained by the Ballpark Lab Research Team. Because our topics are cost and sizing rather than medical, legal, or financial advice, we publish under organizational authorship: accountability comes from a transparent methodology, cited sources, dated updates, and a real way to reach us.