Cost calculators for US home improvement projects, built on published data with the sources shown.
Why this site exists
Search for what a project costs and you will find a hundred pages that give you one confident number with no indication of where it came from, when it was checked, or what it excludes. That number is worse than useless when you are trying to work out whether a $14,000 roofing quote is fair.
BenchCost does the opposite. Every calculator returns a range, states what the range excludes, cites its sources on the page, and shows the date the data was last reviewed. Where we have had to make an assumption because no good source exists, we label it as an assumption rather than dressing it up as data.
Who this is for
Homeowners planning a project and trying to set a realistic budget. People who have quotes in hand and want to know whether they are in the right range. DIYers working out material quantities. And anyone who wants to understand which variables actually move a project’s cost, so they can ask better questions.
What this site is not
It is not a quote, and it is not a substitute for one. Local labor markets, site conditions, code requirements and current material prices vary in ways no calculator can capture. Every estimate here is a planning figure. Get written quotes from licensed local contractors before you commit money.
We also do not sell leads, and we do not pass your details to contractors. Nothing you enter into a calculator on this site is transmitted anywhere — the arithmetic runs entirely in your browser.
How the site is funded
Through display advertising. That is the entire business model. We do not accept payment from contractors for placement or favourable figures, and no advertiser sees or influences our cost data before it is published.
Contact
Corrections, questions and contractor feedback: hello@benchcost.com. If a figure here does not match your experience in the field, tell us — see our methodology page for how we handle corrections.