Sitework calculators — pricing the whole project, one trade, or a material order.
Three groups, three questions. Plan the project — can the whole rehab or new-build survive its budget and schedule before I call contractors? Refine a trade — what will electrical or plumbing actually force on this house once an inspector walks it? Take off materials — what should I actually order, and how much cushion absorbs the surprise on delivery day?
Plan the whole project — before you call contractors
Feasibility budget + schedule horizon. The two halves of every walk / bid / kill decision.
- Plan · 01
Gut rehab cost calculator →
Use this when you're looking at a property that needs the walls opened up and you have to decide walk, bid, or kill before you pay anyone for inspections.
Catches · Catches the lines a per-sqft cost-guide flattens: pre-1980 lead and asbestos contingency, knob-and-tube and galvanized scope creep, foundation cracks, GC overhead, and the contingency band you actually need liquid before starting.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price your specific contractor's bid, structural engineering for load changes, or finish-grade splurges — fixtures, appliances, and luxury surfaces sit on a separate budget line.
Methodology + sources
Anchored on NAHB 2024 8-stage breakdown (sanity check, not multiplier), Assembly Service IL Chicago $100-300/sqft band, HomeAdvisor / Fixr / Angi cross-checks, Census 2024 owner-builder slowdown, and Chicago-metro flipper experience.
- Plan · 02
Construction timeline calculator →
Use this when a contractor or builder hands you a calendar and you need to know whether their move-in date or construction-loan term is realistic.
Catches · Catches the slip days a phase-list won't show: inspection re-dos, weather windows, supplier ghost-jobs, and the owner-builder slowdown the Census measured at 1.26× contractor pace.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't lock in a contractor's schedule. Permitting timelines, custom-fabrication lead times, and labor availability in your specific market can move the buffered ceiling.
Methodology + sources
Owner-builder slowdown from US Census 2024 Survey of Construction (15.2mo OB / 12.1mo contractor). Phase durations from flipper experience + AIA contract cadences. Critical path via forward + backward CPM pass.
- Plan · 03
New construction cost calculator →
Use this when you're sizing a lot + build before talking to a residential builder — to test whether the deal pencils at the high band before paying for soils reports or architectural drawings.
Catches · Catches the lines first-time builders miss: site prep on a real lot (not flat utopia), foundation overruns once soil comes back, GC overhead and profit when going managed-build, and a higher new-build contingency than gut rehab.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price your lot acquisition, the soils report, architect or engineer fees, utility tap-in deposits, or builder-specific finish package upgrades. Those sit upstream of this calc.
Methodology + sources
NAHB 2024 Cost-of-Constructing-a-Home survey ($162.50/sqft median) as sanity check on per-sqft total. Line baselines from HomeAdvisor / Fixr / Angi cross-checks plus Chicago-metro residential-builder experience.
Refine a trade — deeper than the flagship line
Each trade calculator turns one budget line into a scope-aware estimate, with the inspection flags that generic cost guides usually skip.
- Trade · 01
Electrical rewire cost calculator →
Use this when you think you need a rewire or a panel swap but the wiring era, the inspector, or the insurance carrier might force a larger scope than you wanted.
Catches · Catches the scope-jump cost-guides flatten: knob-and-tube turning a panel-only swap into a full rewire, aluminum branch wiring forcing copper replacement, and the AFCI breaker cascade that fires across rooms you weren't planning to touch.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price wall patch and paint after fish-throughs (budget $1.50-$3 per sq ft separately), HVAC re-balancing if soffits come down, or the structural work to enlarge an existing service entrance.
Methodology + sources
Pricing anchors from Fixr 2026, Inch Calculator 2026, Homewyse, and Nassau National Cable — captured verbatim in this site's competitor intel. Code references: NEC §210.12 (AFCI), §210.8 (GFCI), §230 (service entrance), §250 (grounding), §408 (panels).
- Trade · 02
Plumbing repipe cost calculator →
Use this when you're looking at a single leak, a slow drip across a whole house, a galvanized basement ceiling, or a main-line scope and you need to know which one this actually is.
Catches · Catches the systemic supply-line problems cost-guides flatten: galvanized that fails everywhere at once, polybutylene the insurer won't renew over, low pressure that signals pinholes, and the utility-side vs homeowner-side split on a main-line replacement.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the fixtures themselves (toilets, vanities, faucet trim), water-heater replacement, drain-only scopes, or the utility's main-line quote — which has to come from the utility's pre-approved contractor list.
Methodology + sources
Pricing anchors from Uponor / SharkBite / Apollo PEX install guides, Mueller copper Type L/M spec sheets, MCAA labor units, and Chicago-metro permit schedules. Code references: UPC 2024 §604 / §605, IPC 2024 §312 / §605, SDWA 1986 (lead-solder remediation).
Take off the materials — once a phase is in scope
Core take-off tools. Each calc outputs a four-line Material Order Cushion: the exact math, the practical-order amount, the cushion reasoning, and the “when not to over-order” ceiling.
- No. 01
Concrete yardage calculator →
Use this when you're sizing a residential concrete pour — slab, footing, post hole, or stair stoop — and you need yards your dispatcher will actually deliver, plus a bag-count backup if ready-mix isn't worth it.
Catches · Catches the short-load fee. Most Chicago-metro plants charge $40-60/yd³ under 3 yd³ — the calc flags the ready-mix minimum and surfaces the bag-count alternative side-by-side.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the rebar or mesh, the pump-truck adder for inaccessible pours, or the wheelbarrow loss on a long carry from the chute. Add a 5-10% cushion on rough subgrade.
Methodology + sources
ACI 332-20 (residential code), ASTM C94 (ready-mix), NRMCA CIP 31 (short-load fees), Quikrete + Sakrete data sheets (bag yields).
- Slab spine
Concrete slab calculator →
Use this when the only thing you're pouring is a slab — detached-garage floor, foundation slab-on-grade, driveway extension, or patio — and you want the weather window and joint spacing alongside the yardage.
Catches · Catches the slab-specific traps: vapor-barrier spec, cold-weather and hot-weather discharge limits, the 24-36× slab-thickness control-joint rule, and the 10-mil sheeting upgrade that 6-mil from a hardware store doesn't satisfy.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the rebar mat, the radon membrane that some jurisdictions require, or the rebar replacing wire mesh on a thicker slab. Same as the yardage calc — wheelbarrow loss and pump-truck adders sit outside.
Methodology + sources
Adds ACI 305.1-14 (95°F discharge), ACI 306R-16 (40°F cold threshold), ACI 302.1R-15 + ASTM E1745 (10-mil vapor retarder), PCA control-joint guidance, and IRC 2024 R506 on top of the parent's NRMCA + Quikrete + ASTM C94 stack.
- No. 02
Topsoil calculator →
Use this when you're laying a new lawn, overseeding a thin one, or filling a raised garden bed — and you need to know whether bagged or bulk delivery is the right call before you commit.
Catches · Catches the supplier-minimum trap on small orders. Most landscape yards won't deliver under 3 yd³, which makes a small garden bed a bagged job whether you want it to be or not.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the seed, the soil amendments (compost, peat, lime), the irrigation drop, or the labor on a tractor-grade vs hand-spread job.
Methodology + sources
Industry-consensus depth recommendations (4-6″ new lawn, ¼-½″ overseeding, 8-12″ garden). UC Agriculture & Natural Resources Healthy Lawns + UMN Extension cited for what they DO cover (seedbed prep, watering).
- No. 03
Mulch calculator →
Use this when you're mulching landscape beds or refreshing tree rings and you want the bag count or yard count before you load the truck — with the settling cushion built in.
Catches · Catches the 25% first-year settling drop that running short halfway through the bed punishes — and the volcano-mulch trap on tree rings that rots bark and costs you a tree.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the bed prep (edging, weed barrier, soil amendment), the labor to spread, or the disposal of the old mulch layer if you're stripping before refreshing.
Methodology + sources
Penn State Extension on Mulching Landscape Trees (2-4″ depth, 3-3-3 rule, 25% first-year settling), TCIA / ANSI A300 (formal arboriculture standard), Iowa State Extension (cross-check).
- No. 04
Tile calculator →
Use this when you're ordering tile for a floor, wall, or backsplash and you need pattern-specific waste built in — straight, subway, diagonal, herringbone, or a trim-heavy job.
Catches · Catches the lot-number trap: reordering two weeks later from a different production lot puts you a half-shade off across the wall. The calc orders enough up front and includes the lot-match caveat on every result.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the thinset, grout, sealer, spacers, or labor — and doesn't account for the demolition of the existing surface. Trim and bullnose tile usually order separately at different waste percentages.
Methodology + sources
TCNA Handbook waste-factor norms cited by reference (paywalled). Daltile installation guidance + ANSI A108 / A118 / A136.1:2024 cited by name when guides touch install method. Tiles-per-box from manufacturer data sheets.
- No. 05
Deck cost calculator (surface materials) →
Use this when you've already framed the deck — or are pricing only the surface refresh — and you need boards, fasteners, and rough material cost.
Catches · Catches the fastener mismatch: composite warranty often requires a brand-specific hidden-clip system, and 20 ft cedar warps in the rack before it gets installed. The 16 ft cap is a field-preference guard.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price joists, beams, posts, footings, ledger flashing, railings, stairs, or labor. Structural frame work is out of scope by design — the surface calc assumes the substructure is already in or already budgeted.
Methodology + sources
AWC DCA-6 for joist-spacing default (16″ oc) + structural-frame opt-out, IRC 2021 R5 cited by name (paywalled), Trex + TimberTech installation guidance (composite warranty + clip systems).
- No. 06
Gravel calculator →
Use this when you're ordering aggregate for a driveway base, walkway, French drain, or decorative bed — and the supplier bills by the ton, not the yard you measured.
Catches · Catches the cubic-yards-to-tons conversion supplier dispatchers actually run, the compaction multiplier on crusher run (loose order × 1.20 to land at design depth), and the 5-yard supplier-minimum trap on small jobs.
Doesn’t price · Doesn't price the geotextile fabric on a heavy-clay site, the trench or grading labor, the perforated pipe inside a French drain, or the per-yard delivery surcharge on jobs outside the supplier's local zone.
Methodology + sources
USDA NRCS TN 210-AEN-04 (Earth and Aggregate Surfacing Design Guide) for driveway depth specs, NRCS Construction Spec 495 (geotextile), NRCS Construction Spec 423 (compaction practice). Per-type densities cross-checked against Omnicalculator + InchCalculator.