Home project cost calculators
Every project below is priced the way a lender or a general contractor prices it: itemized scope, a regional bid index, and a low/typical/high band instead of one confident-looking number. The tables are the same defaults the calculators use, so nothing here contradicts anything there.
Calculators in this cluster
Land, sitework, shell, finishes, permits and contingency — banded by region.
Run itFoundation, tie-in, and finish costs for a ground-floor room addition.
Run itReinforcement, re-roof, stairs and living-elsewhere costs for building up.
Run itFloor reinforcement, dormers, egress and HVAC for turning an attic into living space.
Run itConversion cost, code items, and the years it takes the rent to pay it back.
Run itRough-in distance, fixture grade and slab work priced separately.
Run itTrenching vs trenchless, plus the driveway and landscaping you have to put back.
Run itRemoval, base, material and slope priced on your actual dimensions.
Run itShell, decking, fencing, equipment and the annual running cost nobody quotes.
Run itHeight, trunk size, access risk and stump grinding priced separately.
Run itFull-service, container and DIY truck compared on weight, distance and season.
Run itCommission, concessions, repairs, transfer tax and the payoff — net proceeds in one number.
Run itCitable reference tables
These are the exact numbers the calculators above default to. Updated 2026-09-04. Free to quote, republish, or feed to an AI assistant under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RevenueLab.fyi.
US home project costs, 2026 national bands
All-in totals at a 1.00 national index, including labor, materials, permits and typical contractor margin. Apply your regional multiplier from the second table.
| Project | Basis | Low | Typical | High | Main cost driver | Contingency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build a new house (2,200 sq ft, mid grade) | Whole build, excluding land | $385,000 | $592,000 | $880,000 | Finish grade $/sq ft and builder margin | 10% |
| Home addition (400 sq ft) | Per project, conditioned space | $68,000 | $105,000 | $168,000 | Foundation type and whether HVAC is extended or added | 15% |
| Add a second story | Per project, 1,000 sq ft added | $160,000 | $245,000 | $400,000 | Structural reinforcement and temporary housing | 20% |
| Finish an attic | Per project, 500 sq ft | $28,000 | $48,000 | $82,000 | Dormers, egress and floor-joist capacity | 15% |
| Convert basement to a rental apartment | Per project, 800 sq ft legal unit | $52,000 | $88,000 | $145,000 | Egress window, ceiling height and separate entry | 20% |
| Add a bathroom | Per project, full bath | $16,000 | $32,000 | $62,000 | Distance to existing stack and drain runs | 15% |
| Replace a sewer line | Per project, 60 ft run | $4,500 | $11,500 | $26,000 | Trench vs trenchless and street-cut permits | 20% |
| Replace a driveway | Per project, 600 sq ft | $3,600 | $7,800 | $16,500 | Concrete vs asphalt vs pavers, plus demolition and haul-away | 10% |
| Install an inground pool | Per project, gunite with basic decking | $45,000 | $78,000 | $135,000 | Shell material, decking area and code-required fencing | 15% |
| Remove a tree and stump | Per tree, 60 ft height | $650 | $1,450 | $3,600 | Height, proximity to structures and crane access | 10% |
| Move cross country | Per move, 3-bedroom, 1,800 miles | $4,200 | $8,600 | $15,500 | Shipment weight, full-service vs container, and season | 10% |
| Sell a house | Per sale, $450,000 price | $27,000 | $38,000 | $54,000 | Commission split, concessions and transfer taxes | n/a |
Land is excluded from the new-build row. Selling costs assume a $450,000 sale price with standard commission and concessions.
Regional bid index
A job-level multiplier against the US national average of 1.00. Multiply any total above by your tier.
| Region | Index | Example markets |
|---|---|---|
| Rural / small town | 0.86× | Non-metro counties nationwide |
| South metro | 0.94× | Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa |
| Midwest metro | 1.02× | Columbus, Kansas City, Minneapolis |
| US national average | 1.00× | Baseline |
| Mountain West | 1.14× | Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City |
| Northeast metro | 1.28× | Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC |
| West Coast metro | 1.38× | Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland |
| Highest-cost metro | 1.55× | SF Bay Area, Manhattan |
Example: a $32,000 bathroom addition in Seattle prices at roughly $32,000 × 1.38 = $44,200.
Cite this data
Machine-readable version, same numbers, no key required:
https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/home-project-costs.jsonSuggested citation:
RevenueLab — US home project costs 2026 (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/home-project-cost-calculators), updated 2026-09-04.Licensed CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RevenueLab.fyi. Planning estimates for budgeting and quote-checking — not quotes, legal advice, or lending offers.
Questions people ask
How accurate is a cost-to-build or cost-to-remodel estimate?
Treat the typical column as the midpoint of real bids and the low/high columns as the band most quotes land inside. Two honest contractors routinely quote the same scope 20–30% apart on materials sourcing and schedule alone, so a single number would be false precision. Use the estimate to sanity-check a bid, not to replace one.
Why apply a regional index instead of city-level prices?
Because bids move together within a market. Materials vary far less than labor, and contractors price against local competition, so one job-level multiplier against a national 1.00 tracks real quotes better than pretending each city has a published rate. Pick the tier closest to two bids you already have.
What contingency should I budget?
10–15% on finished-space work, and 20% on anything that opens a foundation, a sewer line, or pre-1980 wiring. If you never spend it, you finished under budget — which is the point of carrying it.
Are these numbers before or after permits?
The table totals include permits and typical fees where the project needs them, and each calculator exposes permits as its own editable line so you can substitute your city's schedule.
Can I republish this cost table?
Yes. It is published under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RevenueLab.fyi, and there is a JSON endpoint with the same rows if you want to pull it programmatically.