Know what’s worth buying — and what to skip.

Take a photo of any room. Your free Alder Check comes back with Buy / Skip / Wait verdicts — evidence from your photos, verified costs and rebates, no account required.

One tap opens your camera. 1–5 photos of any room. Free, no account required.

We tell you what NOT to buyEvery cost verified and dated — deepest in VermontPhotos with people are excluded automatically

How a Check works

STEP 1
Snap 1–5 photos

Any room, any angle. One tap opens your camera. No account, no forms.

STEP 2
Get your verdicts

Buy / Skip / Wait / Investigate — with photo evidence, verified costs, and rebates.

STEP 3
Turn Buys into products

Optional $19.99 Smart Cart: exact products, Good / Better / Best, quantities, install difficulty.

Start here · Free
Alder Check

Every project list has something on it that isn’t worth the money. Photograph the room and get Buy / Skip / Wait verdicts backed by what’s visible in your photos — including at least one thing NOT to buy, every time.

Run your free Check →
$19.99 · Built from your Check
Smart Cart

A Buy verdict still leaves you comparing forty near-identical models. Smart Cart names the exact products — Good / Better / Best tiers, the specs that matter, quantities, and how hard the install really is.

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Guides & assistant

Photos can’t tell you what a permit costs or which rebates stack. The verified cost guides behind every Check can — real installed costs, rebates, permits — plus a free assistant for the rest.

Check the real costs →

What a Check looks like

Buy

Cold-climate mini-split for the main living area

Your photos show hydronic baseboard heat and no visible heat pump. A single-zone cold-climate mini-split typically cuts winter heating cost in the room it serves and adds summer cooling.

What we saw
  • Hydronic baseboard along the exterior wall
  • No mini-split head or condenser visible
  • Open living area suited to a single zone
Typical cost: $3,500–$5,500
Efficiency Vermont: $475 per indoor head

Next step: Get two quotes from rebate-participating installers — in Vermont the rebate is paid through the contractor.

Cost basis: Vermont Heat Pump Rebate Stack 2026, verified May 2026
Wait

Refrigerator replacement

The fridge looks dated but shows no failure signs — no rust at the seals, no condensation streaks. An aging-but-working fridge usually isn’t worth replacing for efficiency alone; wait for a real symptom.

What we saw
  • Older finish and hardware, consistent with a 2000s unit
  • Door seals appear intact
  • No visible leaks or frost buildup

Next step: Re-check if you hear compressor cycling issues or see condensation inside — that changes the math.

Real output. Every number carries a verified date and names the guide it came from — get your own free Check.

The verified cost data behind every Check

Heat Pump Rebate Stack 2026Weatherization & EVT RebatesRoof Replacement CostsKitchen Remodel CostsDeck CostsADU Permit Costs 2026Cost Reality Check 2026Basement Moisture ChecksSolar + Battery Stack 2026Window Film vs ReplacementAll guides →