David Olson
David Olson is a journalist turned data engineer who founded TheFatBook to do for home improvement what the Kelley Blue Book did for used cars: publish the number before the salesman does. He built the cost index himself, line by line, and signs his name to it. When a figure on this site is wrong, he is the one you get to tell.
The two datasets
The Cost Index prices home improvement work across 30 U.S. metro markets, 28 of them published in the 2026 study, from a bill of materials model: Craftsman National Estimator labor hours, BLS metro wages with real employer burden, FRED producer price indexes for materials, NAHB overhead benchmarks per trade, and the actual permit fee for the scope. It derives the fair price range, the cost to deliver, the lowest realistic price, and the contractor margin for every service in every market, and it is rebuilt on a source review before each release. Current release: 2026-07-11.
The Permit Dataset covers building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical fees compiled by hand from published municipal fee schedules, with the exemptions that matter as much as the fees. Every figure links to the source document. It powers PermitCalculator.com and the permit line inside every cost index number.
The tools
David designed the Bid Fairness Checker, the True Cost Calculator, and the per-trade material calculators, and he builds the per-city cost index pages. Every tool runs on the same index, so a bid graded in one place grades the same everywhere.
Published data studies
The 2026 Remodeling Cost Index · Most and least expensive metros to remodel · Which remodels swing most by location · Building permit cost by city and the permit fee studies.
For journalists and researchers
Every study is free to cite with attribution, and every data page carries a ready citation block (APA, MLA, Chicago) plus an embeddable, self-updating version of the data. The methodology is public down to the ISBN of the cost book. If you need a figure for a metro or project the pages do not show, ask: the index almost certainly has it.
How the numbers stay honest
The pricing methodology is reviewed by Leonard "Chuck" Thompson, a retired high-end residential and commercial builder, from the seat of someone who priced this work for a living. Editorial guides are written in Chuck's voice as Chief Editor and reviewed by David against the index for data accuracy. Every number traces to a public source you can check yourself: the full derivation is published, and the about page covers how the project runs and why.
Connect
LinkedIn · About TheFatBook · David also runs EG3.com, consumer tech guides built on datasheets and FCC filings rather than marketing copy.