About CostCalc

CostCalc is a set of free calculators for people planning work on a house: what a project is likely to cost, and how much material to order. There is no account, no upload and no paywall. Pick a calculator, type your measurements, and the answer appears as you type.

How the estimates are built

Cost calculators use a transparent model: quantity × installed unit price, plus removal and disposal, permits and fees, and a contingency percentage you control. The unit prices that come pre-filled are typical U.S. national figures — useful as a starting point, never as a quote. Every one of them is an editable input, so the most accurate thing you can do is replace our number with a price you were actually given.

Material calculators do arithmetic instead of guessing: cubic yards of concrete, tons of gravel, boxes of tile, sheets of drywall, rolls of sod, board feet of lumber. Coverage figures such as bags per square or square feet per box are typical industry values. Products differ, so the label on what you buy always wins over our default.

What these numbers are not

• They are not contractor quotes, and they are not binding on anyone.
• They are not engineering, architectural, legal or financial advice.
• They do not check your local building code — code requirements vary by jurisdiction and by edition.
• They do not account for hidden conditions: rot behind tile, a failed subfloor, asbestos, or a slope that needs retaining.

Use them to sanity-check a bid, to compare two quotes line by line, to decide whether a project is worth starting, and to buy materials without a second trip to the yard.

Privacy and money

Every calculation runs in your browser with JavaScript. Your measurements are never sent to us, and there is no server-side database behind these tools. We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand which calculators are useful, and the site is supported by advertising. Full detail is in our privacy policy.

Corrections

If a coverage figure, a formula or a price range looks wrong for your area, tell us — please include the calculator and the number you expected. Corrections go to the contact page.