# We Return Calls — Rate Board SOURCE-LOG
**v0.1 · researched 2026-11-05 · all numbers public, trade-generic · nothing invented**
Companion to `rate-board/index.html`. Every number on the board cites a row here.
Status key on the board: **OBSERVED** (live local listing) · **PUBLISHED** (city/firm price card or guide) · **WAGE-ANCHORED** (Job Bank wage × 2.0–3.5, method below) · **COLLECTING** (supply test / rate card).

## The method (so updates stay uniform)

1. **Wage → billing anchor:** solo/small-shop customer billing ≈ worker wage × 2.0–3.5.
   Premium companies run 3.5–6×; the desk's lane is solo/small-shop, so we scope to 2.0–3.5.
2. **Calibration against known published pairs** (billing ÷ Job Bank median wage):
   - Plumber BC guide $90–150 ÷ $32 median → **2.8–4.7×** (upper = company end; solo fits 2.0–3.5)
   - Plumber LM $110–190 ÷ $30 → 3.7–6.3× (company-heavy market; coast scope uses solo end)
   - Electrician Van guide $100–150 ÷ $34.57 → 2.9–4.3×
   - Handyman coastwide observed $65/hr ÷ late-career wage $32.50 → **2.0×** (exact fit)
   - Painter LM $55–85 ÷ $28 BC → 2.0–3.0× (verified-fit exception: barrier-free trade has
     cheaper uninsured solos at 1.2–1.8× — excluded, not desk lane)
3. Coast wages come from **Job Bank "Vancouver Island and Coast Region"** SAE estimates —
   the region containing the Sunshine Coast. Where a wage-anchored band is adjusted for a
   trade's specifics, the board row says so.

## Per-row sources (retrieved 2026-11-05)

### Hourly customer-facing bands

| Trade | Coast band on board | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handyman | **$60–90/hr** | OBSERVED + PUBLISHED | Craigslist Sechelt services: "Christmas lights/gutter cleaning & handyman services **$65/hr** — Coastwide" (live ad); urbantasker BC self-emp **$60–90** general ($100–125 specialized); handld: Canada $50–100, Vancouver/Toronto top, small/rural −20–30% |
| Handyman (Van) | $60–145/hr | PUBLISHED | urbantasker BC $60–90/$100–125; HomeStars Van solo ops **$40–55/hr** (lower bound, listed 2025); handyman-vancouver.ca premium **$145/hr + $290 2-h min** (2026 card); Bark YVR $90/hr 2h min; TaskRabbit Canada avg **$49** |
| Plumber | **$70–125/hr** | WAGE-ANCHORED | Job Bank Islands&Coast plumber wage **$25.51/35.20/44.76** (med 35.20; updated 2025-11-19, ref 2024 SAE) × 2.0–3.5 |
| Plumber (Van) | $110–190/hr | PUBLISHED | howtostart.ca BC guide: BC std **$90–150**, Van/LM **$110–190**; Pioneer (Van, publishes rates): **$68 call-out credited**, $199 emergency, ~$158/hr after (Burnaby card); Pink Plumbing $79 call-out + **$200 min work** |
| Electrician | **$65–115/hr** | WAGE-ANCHORED | Job Bank Islands&Coast electrician **$21.60/33.28/44.42** × 2.0–3.5 |
| Electrician (Van) | $100–150/hr | PUBLISHED | CSK Electric BC guide: Van average **$100–150/hr**, **$250 first hour** (call-out included), service-call fee norm **$100–300** |
| Carpenter | **$65–110/hr** | WAGE-ANCHORED | Job Bank Islands&Coast carpenter wage **$23.08/32.00/45.00** (med 32) × 2.0–3.5; rounding to $5 |
| Carpenter (Van) | $55–120/hr | PUBLISHED (thin high end) | TaskRabbit Vancouver carpentry "**starts at $55/hr**"; meetacarpenter BC avg $40/hr (Mar 2025 — BC-wide, includes low-end); high end = GC-carpenter, collecting |
| Gas fitter / HVAC | **$75–130/hr** | WAGE-ANCHORED | Job Bank Islands&Coast gas fitter **$24.90/37.18/49.15** × 2.0–3.5. Coast licensed-lane bands = collect at supply test (regulated trade) |
| Gas fitter (Van) | collecting | — | No published Van billing card found in sweep; Indeed LM postings show wages $41–70/hr (R&B plumbing/gasfitter, NV HVAC class-B $50–70) |
| Painter | **$50–85/hr** (vetted small crew) | PUBLISHED × Coast adj. | dreamscapepainting LM guide: Lower Mainland pros **$55–85/hr** (2025, insured crews); ProWorks BC: freelance $25–50 / small biz $40–60 / large $60–100+. Coast: small-town −10–20% on the low, uninsured solo excluded; I&C wage med $27 anchors $55–95 |

### Call-out / minimums

| Market | Norm | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BC cities | **$50–120** typical; up to **$169** on a published Burnaby card | howtostart.ca BC plumber guide |
| Van plumbing | $68 credited (Pioneer) · $79 + $200 min work (Pink) · $47.50/15-min diagnostics | Pioneer /rATES; Pink /pricing (2026) |
| Van electrical | $100–300 service call; $250 first hour common | CSK Electric guide |
| Van handyman | $100–150 min fee norm; premium 2-h minimums to $290 | urbantasker; handyman-vancouver.ca |
| Coast | **COLLECTING — supply test.** One observed coastwide ad bills straight hourly ($65/hr, 1-h minimum implied). Desk target: low flat call-out ($0–50) with batched-run absorbed travel | this log |

### Common-job fixed prices — Vancouver reality check (published card, anonymous on board)

From one published Vancouver/LM fixed-price plumbing card (2026; call-out excl., min $200 work):
bath cartridge **$126** · kitchen cartridge **$251** · faucet swap HO-supplied bath **$213** / kitchen **$395** ·
reset wax seal **$323** · shutoff replace **$219** · supply tube **$209** · garburator (HO) **$313** ·
HO toilet install **$487** · dishwasher install **$509** · HO water-heater install **$895**.
Coast equivalents: **COLLECTING** — the desk's batch-run pricing is the board's headline when it lands.
(Board shows the card ANONYMOUSLY per the language convention: "a published Vancouver price card" — no firm name next to numbers. The name lives here only.)

## v0.2 add-on services (added 2026-11-05)

### Garbage bin cleaning — per can, per visit

| Number | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|
| One-time **$24.99/bin** (3 bins $49.99, 5 bins $69.99) · plans from **$14.99/mo** | PUBLISHED | Eco Pro Wash, Vancouver (ecoprowashbc.ca/bin-cleaning-vancouver) |
| One-time **$20–21.99/bin** · plans **$5.99–8.99/can per clean** (weekly→monthly) · 2-tote min | PUBLISHED | Happy Bin Cleaning + Bioclens Environmental, Metro Van (cityfarmer.info/green-bin-cleaning compiled list) |
| 1 bin **$50** · 3–7 bins **$25/bin** · 20 bins **~$17/bin** (volume curve) | PUBLISHED | Mr. Can Clean, Vancouver strata/multi-family (mrcanclean.ca/commercial) |
| Coast pricing | COLLECTING — supply test; the shape (one truck, one street, collection-day run of 8–14 cans) undercuts the one-time city price | this desk |

Board band: one-time **$20–50/can**, volume to **~$15–25**, plans **$7.99–14.99/mo** — all VAN-coastless published; Coast column tagged COLLECTING. Guardrail: pro rigs must capture wastewater — no storm-drain rinsing.

### Power washing — per m² + flat jobs

| Number | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|
| **$5/m²** (~$0.46/sqft), min $85, typical job $200 | PUBLISHED | AnyClean published price card — and their **Sechelt page confirms the same fixed price here** (anyclean.ca/pressure-washing-service/british-columbia/sechelt/): "$5 per m² for driveways, patios, decks, siding and fences… most customers paid between $85 and $250, avg $200" across BC |
| Driveway **$150–250** · full home exterior **$300–600** | PUBLISHED | P&J Cleaners, Metro Van (pnjcleaners.com) |
| Platform hourly **from $45/hr** (some Taskers 3-h min) | PUBLISHED | TaskRabbit Vancouver pressure-washing page |
| BC contractor avg **$350** (quotes-based) | PUBLISHED | Bark.com BC pressure-washing directory |
| Coast local-operator hourly | COLLECTING — supply test (local outfits exist — e.g. a Gibsons exterior-cleaning company — none publish prices) | this desk |

Board band: **$5/m² fixed** wherever it's published (city parity), handyman-lane guardrails: ground-level, customer's water, never roofs/ladder-height.

### Appliance repairs — service call + rates (LICENSED lane)

| Number | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Service call/diagnostic **$120–180** (often credited) · labour **$100–175/hr** · minor repair **$150–300** | PUBLISHED | Barton Appliance Repair, North Van 2026 pricing guide (bartonappliancerepair.com) |
| Service call **from $99.95** (incl. travel + diagnosis) | PUBLISHED | Handy Appliances, Vancouver (handyappliances.ca/pages/service) |
| Large-appliance service **$130–380** · washer **$150–500** · dishwasher **$130–380** · small appliance **$50–160** · Metro runs **5–15% above BC avg** | PUBLISHED | sundr.ca North Van repair-cost guide (2025) |
| US context (structure only, not bands): diagnostic $70–130; washer job $125–450 | — | Housecall Pro/HomeGuide via Zarla guide — excluded from bands |
| Coast band | COLLECTING — supply test; rule from the rural-visit norm: travel gets priced (+$25–100 where the drive is long) | this desk |

Board band: service call **$100–180**, labour **$100–175/hr**, washer **$150–500**, dishwasher **$130–380** — PUBLISHED (Van). Lane rule: appliance techs only; never inside a microwave (capacitor), gas dryers/ranges = gas fitter; the desk's move is batching 2–3 appliances into one tech visit.

## The wage cross-check (Job Bank, updated 2025-11-19 — worker wages, not billing)

| Trade | Islands & Coast (has the SCRD) | Lower Mainland–SW | BC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | 25.51 / **35.20** / 44.76 | 22.00 / **30.00** / 48.00 | 23.00 / 32.00 / 48.00 |
| Electrician | 21.60 / **33.28** / 44.42 | 21.82 / **34.57** / 47.69 | 20.00 / 34.00 / 47.49 |
| Carpenter | 23.08 / **32.00** / 45.00 | — | 23.00 / 32.00 / 43.71 |
| Gas fitter | 24.90 / **37.18** / 49.15 | 33.13 / **39.84** / 54.59 | 25.97 / 39.82 / 56.72 |
| Painter | 22.00 / **27.00** / 32.40 | — | 21.00 / 28.00 / 35.00 |

*(low / median / high $/hr. LM carpenter & painter medians didn't surface in the sweep — BC column covers; collecting.)

**Read:** Coast trade wages sit AT or ABOVE city wages (plumber median 35.20 vs 30.00). The
service-price gap on the board is **overhead + density + competition**, not cheaper labour —
which is exactly why the desk's edge is **batching + a same-day answer + the Nope pile**,
never "cheap trades". Carries into the supply-test pitch.

## Correction log (real numbers as they land)

| date | trade | what changed | source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-11-05 | — | v0.1 research draft built (this board) | public research |
| 2026-11-05 | bins / powerwashing / appliance | v0.2: Service add-ons section added to board; site triage lanes + both engines' keyword arrays updated (bin/garbage-can → handyman lane; appliance/dishwasher/washing machine/microwave/fridge/oven/stove/garburator → licensed lane); site lane lists get the three services | today's sweep (rows above) |
| 2026-11-05 | — | **v0.3: board restructure on Sam's go — wage cross-check section + all Vancouver/LM columns + the city fixed-price-card section REMOVED from the public board; board = Coast rates only. Zero band-number changes. The wage-anchor method and all city reference pricing remain in THIS log as internal sourcing. Reason on record: wages (take-home) read as billing rates — never show wage tables next to rates again on a public page** | Sam's chat go, Nov 5 |
| *(supply test rows)* | | | 5 trade conversations → rate cards |

## Public-facing rules (locked Nov 4, unchanged)

- Trade-generic bands, never a named business next to a number.
- Label: "typical Coast band, **not a quote** — the desk's estimate is the quote."
- Minimums/call-outs included (that's where sticker shock lives).
- v0 = research only; v1.0 = after the 5 supply-test conversations correct it.
- Board stays OFF the public site until Sam's go + corrections (draft prop for now).
  (Overtaken Nov 5: Sam's go given — the board is live on the Pages draft; v0.3 = Coast-only restructure.)