Confidence score
How sure is this estimate, really?
Every Renolume estimate carries a score out of 100, a band, and a range that widens as certainty falls. It is the number we would most like you to read first.
The three bands
High
Narrowest range
Rich inputs and a measured local wage sample. Suitable for setting a working budget and testing bids against.
Moderate
Wider range
Enough to budget with, but some conditions are assumed rather than known. Expect movement once a contractor inspects.
Preliminary
Widest range
Thin inputs or no local wage sample. Useful for orientation and go / no-go thinking, not for committing funds.
What the score is built from
- Input completenessHow many of the questions that materially move cost you actually answered.
- Location resolutionWhether we matched a measured metro wage sample, a state average, or nothing at all.
- Wage sample qualityWhether the local wage series is measured or interpolated from neighbouring areas.
- Condition certaintyWhether existing-condition answers were observed by you or assumed by the model.
- Scope stabilityHow many high-variance rules fired — the conditions most likely to change on inspection.
Why the range widens
A low confidence score does not mean the expected value is wrong — it means the spread around it is genuinely larger. Rather than quietly presenting a precise-looking figure, Renolume applies a wider low-to-high spread and says which band you are in. A confident-looking number built on three answers is the most expensive kind of mistake in renovation planning.
The Preliminary cap
If we cannot match your location to a measured local wage sample, the estimate is capped at Preliminary no matter how complete your other answers are. Labour is the largest and most local component of nearly every project; without a real local sample, precision would be theatre.
How to raise it
Every estimate lists the specific answers that would raise its score, with the points each would add — usually a ZIP code, an existing-condition detail, or an access constraint you already know.
See a confidence score on your own project
Answer eight short steps and get the range, the reasoning and the score together.
Choose a project type