No mystery. You get a straight number before any work starts, and it does not move unless the job does.
Three shapes, depending on the job. Starting rates are below; the exact figure comes with the quote, before any work starts.
A fix, a small tool, a page that does one thing. Scoped in a sentence or two, usually finished in a day, quoted as a single price you agree to first.
Bigger builds get a plan, a day estimate, and a not-to-exceed you sign off on. You see where the time goes; no surprise invoices.
The server that falls over, the change that has to ship today. Hourly, logged honestly, only when something is actually broken or due.
Local trade in the mix? Bring it up. A truck on moving day really is worth at least a landing page.
Whatever the shape, the number comes before the work, not after. If a job grows, we agree on the new number first. That is the whole pricing policy.