About

unfinished.one is an open reference library for built assets: how long building components last (service life) and how to maintain them (preventive maintenance tasks).

Each entry is a citeable page, a JSON file and an answer from an MCP server. Every answer carries its source, a confidence grade and a permanent versioned link. The data is licensed CC BY 4.0.

Why “unfinished”

A reference like this is never complete. Sources disagree, components change and some numbers rest on a single estimate. Rather than hide that, each entry lists its open questions and says how strong its evidence is. Gaps are published, not hidden.

Confidence grades

Every entry has one grade for the strength of its service-life evidence.

A

Observed data. Observed replacements, sample of 50 or more.

B

Sources agree. Three or more independent published sources agree within 20%.

C

Published source. One or two published sources.

D

Expert estimate. Estimate by named editors only.

Most entries start at C or D. A grade can change as evidence is added; any change to an entry is a new version with its own permanent link. Where the sources come from is set out in the sourcing policy.

Where the numbers come from

Published, checkable sources first. Ontario municipalities publish asset management plans that state how long they expect assets to last; the municipal plan index collects them so each assumption can be cited to its page. Manufacturer literature, standards referenced by clause number and open research come next. Expert estimates are allowed but labelled, and they are the lowest grade.

Over time the strongest evidence will be observed replacements: install and removal dates from real buildings, shared opt-in and published only as aggregates.

Neutrality

The library is meant to be safe for competing maintenance software vendors, consultants and governments to build on. No company gets special access: the pages, the JSON and the MCP server are the same for everyone, and anyone may use the data under CC BY 4.0.

Privacy

Observed data, when it is added, is opt-in, anonymized and published only as aggregates above a minimum sample size. Public output never identifies an owner, building or address; observations are described by region and building type only.

Pre-release status

This site is a pre-release. The first public release is targeted for mid-2027 and aims to cover about 100 common building components across HVAC, controls, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, envelope, conveying, and recreation facilities such as arenas and pools.

Progress is public: the coverage grid on the home page shows which components have entries and which are still planned.

Until then, entries may be incomplete, some values are placeholders (and are marked as such in their open questions), and the format may change. Versioned links will keep working.

Contact

Corrections, sources and questions: [email protected].