Know what a fair price looks like
before the first contractor calls back.

Why we show the math

Most "cost estimator" sites work backwards: they exist to sell your contact details to contractors, so the numbers are bait — vague, wide, and impossible to verify. We work forwards. We start from published price data (retail material prices, federal producer-price series, and contractor cost surveys), write down a formula, and let you run it yourself with your own house's numbers.

That means two things. First, you can check us: the methodology page documents where every input comes from and when it was last pulled. Second, you can argue with us: if a bid comes in far above our high band, you'll know which assumption to ask the contractor about — pitch, tear-off, material grade — instead of just feeling uneasy.

Built for real decisions

Our estimates are planning ranges, not quotes. Regional labor rates, roof complexity, and material availability move real prices — which is why we always give a low/typical/high band instead of one false-precision number, and why every tool links to a guide on reading contractor quotes so the estimate becomes leverage, not just trivia.