Editorial and testing policy

1. Every article is signed

No anonymous posts, no house pseudonyms, no AI-generated filler published under an invented byline. Each piece carries the name, role and background of the editor responsible for it, and links to their full archive.

2. Primary sources first

Specifications come from manufacturer documentation — installation manuals, published spec sheets and technical bulletins. Regulatory and safety points are sourced from the relevant authority: model building codes, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission's labelling rules, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state university extension services for horticultural guidance. Where practice varies by jurisdiction, we say so rather than pretending a single national answer exists.

3. Hands-on where hands-on is possible

Tool and installation guides are written from work actually performed, not from a press release. Where we have not personally carried out a specific procedure, we say so in the article and rely on documented manufacturer instructions instead.

4. Review before publication

Anything touching water, gas, structure or a breaker panel is reviewed by the relevant editor before publication — plumbing and appliance content by our licensed journeyman plumber, structural content by our carpentry editor. Content we cannot verify to that standard does not go up.

5. Dates are real

Every article shows both a publication date and a last-modified date. We do not refresh a date to game search results. When a piece changes substantively — a code revision, a superseded standard, a corrected figure — we update the content and the date together.

6. No paid coverage, ever

We do not accept payment, gifts, free products or hospitality in exchange for coverage or for a favourable opinion. We do not publish sponsored posts dressed as editorial. Advertising is sold by a separate function, is always labelled, and confers no editorial influence of any kind.

7. Safety comes before completeness

Where a job crosses into territory that legally or sensibly requires a licensed professional — gas connections, service panel work, structural alteration, refrigerant handling — we stop and say so. An article that gets a reader hurt has failed regardless of how well it ranks.

8. Corrections are public

Errors are corrected on the article itself with a dated note, not quietly deleted. Report one through the contact page and you will get a reply.

9. Prices and availability are illustrative

Any price ranges given are broad, US-market, at time of writing, and are there to help you judge whether a purchase is reasonable — not to quote a seller. They change constantly. Always confirm current price and availability with the retailer.