Cost glossary
The words that turn up on a quote and are rarely explained. Each one is defined the way a contractor uses it, not the way a dictionary does.
- AFUE Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency
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The percentage of fuel a furnace turns into heat rather than losing up the flue. An 80% AFUE furnace wastes a fifth of what you pay for; a 95%+ condensing unit wastes about a twentieth. The higher unit costs more to buy and often needs new venting, which is why the gap on a quote is wider than the equipment price alone.
Used in: Furnace Replacement , HVAC Replacement
- Apron Where a driveway meets the street
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The section of driveway between the sidewalk or kerb and the public road. It is frequently controlled by the municipality rather than the homeowner, which means its specification, and sometimes its contractor, is not your choice.
Used in: Asphalt Driveway , Concrete Driveway
- Encapsulation Sealing a crawl space
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Lining a crawl space with a heavy vapour barrier to keep ground moisture out of the house. Often paired with a dehumidifier and sometimes with drainage, which is why quotes vary so widely.
- Exposed aggregate Concrete finished to show the stone
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A concrete finish where the top layer of cement is washed off before curing to reveal the stone underneath. More slip-resistant and more expensive than a plain broom finish.
Used in: Concrete Driveway
- Full-depth Rebuilding the base, not just the surface
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Excavating and rebuilding the stone base beneath a driveway or patio rather than resurfacing what is there. Necessary on poor soil, wet ground or where frost heave has moved the ground, and the main reason two driveway quotes can differ by 50%.
Used in: Asphalt Driveway
- Job minimum The smallest bill a trade will write
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Bringing a crew, a truck and equipment to a site costs roughly the same whether the job is small or large, so most trades will not quote below a floor. It is why a 200 square foot driveway does not cost a quarter of an 800 square foot one.
- Linear foot A foot measured along a run
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Fencing, gutters and trim are priced per linear foot, the distance along the run, ignoring height. A 150 foot fence is 150 linear feet whether it is four feet tall or six, though the height changes the rate per foot.
Used in: Fence Installation
- Overlay A new surface over the old one
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Resurfacing rather than replacing: a new layer of asphalt or shingles laid over what is already there. Roughly half the cost of a tear-out and replacement, and only sound if the base underneath is still good. Over a surface that has sunk or cracked in an alligator pattern, an overlay fails the same way within a couple of years.
Used in: Asphalt Driveway , Roof Replacement
- Refacing New doors and fronts on existing boxes
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Replacing cabinet doors, drawer fronts and visible veneer while keeping the existing cabinet boxes. Typically a third to a half of the cost of new cabinetry, and only sensible where the boxes are sound and the layout is staying.
Used in: Cabinet Refacing , Kitchen Remodel
- Remediation Removing a hazard, not just the damage
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Contained removal of something harmful, mold, asbestos, under controls that stop it spreading, usually with clearance testing afterwards. Distinct from repair: remediation deals with the hazard, and the repair of what was removed is normally a separate cost.
Used in: Mold Remediation
- Scope What the job actually includes
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The agreed list of work. Most disputes about price are really disputes about scope: two quotes that differ by thousands are usually not pricing the same job. Getting scope in writing matters more than negotiating the number.
- Sealcoat A protective coat on asphalt
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A thin coating applied to asphalt every two to three years to slow oxidation and water damage. Maintenance, not installation: it runs about $0.20 to $0.35 per square foot and does not repair damage that has already happened.
Used in: Asphalt Driveway
- SEER Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
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The cooling equivalent of AFUE. Higher SEER means less electricity for the same cooling. It raises equipment cost and is worth most in hot climates with long cooling seasons.
Used in: HVAC Replacement
- Square 100 square feet of roof
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Roofers price in squares, not square feet. One square is 100 square feet. A quote of $450 per square on a 2,000 square foot roof is 20 squares, so $9,000. Converting before you compare two quotes is the single most useful bit of arithmetic in roofing.
Used in: Roof Replacement
- Tear-out Removing what is already there
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Demolition and disposal of the existing surface or fixture, charged separately from the new work. It is the line most often missing from a quote that looks unusually cheap, on a two-car driveway it is commonly $1,500 or more on its own.
Used in: Asphalt Driveway , Concrete Driveway , Flooring Installation