How We Estimate Renovation Costs

Every price on this site is an estimate to help you plan, not a quote. This page explains where our numbers come from, how the calculators turn them into a range, and what they can't tell you.

Where our price ranges come from

All of the cost tables and calculators on the site draw from one file of price ranges that we maintain. Each range is built from several published sources that we review, such as contractors' and suppliers' published price guides and cost-estimating websites, for Florida where we can find them and national data where we can't. The sources behind each range are listed in our research log, and each cost table shows the date its ranges were last reviewed.

When we have them, we prefer Florida figures over national ones, and Space Coast or other local figures over statewide ones. Published ranges often disagree, so ours are deliberately rounded and wide. We round to the nearest $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 depending on size, because an estimate like $8,437 would suggest a precision no planning tool has.

Unless a table says otherwise, ranges are installed prices in US dollars: materials and labor for a typical job. They generally don't include permit fees, engineering, HOA application fees, sales tax charged separately, or repairs to damage found once work starts.

Local figures we quote

Some articles quote price figures that local contractors have published, for example a Melbourne roofer's cost guide. We label these as published estimates, give the year when the source shows one, and link to the source. We don't name the company in the text, and quoting a figure isn't an endorsement. These figures are marketing estimates written by businesses that sell the work, so we use them as a check on our ranges, not as a replacement for them.

How the calculators work

Each calculator multiplies your quantities (square feet, linear feet, number of openings) by the low and high ends of the matching range, adds any extras you choose, and rounds the total the same way as above.

Some calculators also adjust for things that change the price of the same job:

• Roof pitch. A steeper roof has more surface than its footprint. The roof calculator converts the footprint to roof area with standard slope multipliers.
• Our planning assumptions. Adjustments for roof shape, deck height, fence height, bathroom size, painting surface condition, and products approved for Miami-Dade and Broward's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone are our own planning multipliers. They're based on how published sources and contractors describe price differences, not on a survey of completed jobs. Treat them as rough.

The calculators don't know your site: access, soil and drainage, rotted framing or decking, wind design pressures, flood-zone rules, HOA requirements, the products you pick, or how busy contractors are after a storm. All of these can move a real quote outside our range.

What we never do

• We don't invent quotes, surveys, completed projects or average prices we can't source.
• We don't change price ranges because of any relationship with a contractor. Our referral disclosure explains those relationships.
• We don't require your contact details to show an estimate. Requesting a contractor estimate is optional.

How to use our numbers

Use our ranges to set a budget, compare quotes and spot one that's far off. Then get written quotes based on your actual project; our guide to why contractor quotes differ explains how to compare them. Keep a contingency for surprises, especially in older homes.

Keeping ranges current

We aim to review every price range at least once a year, and sooner after big market changes such as a major hurricane. If you think a range is out of date, tell us. Our editorial standards explain how we research and correct the rest of the site.