An appellate court will not intervene in a trial judge's preference for one witness over another where the judge gave coherent and structured reasons based on the whole of the evidence and the objective probabilities, even where individual aspects of the evidence might support the losing party's case. In building contract disputes, the distinction between an estimate and a binding quotation is critical, and a court may find it implausible that an experienced builder would offer a fixed price where there were no specifications and many variables affecting cost. Irrelevant speculation by a trial judge leading to an irrelevant conclusion does not amount to a material denial of procedural fairness.
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