Cost estimates without a sales pitch attached
HomeCostDesk publishes home project cost calculators that show their working. No quote forms, no lead selling, no phone calls at dinner time.
Why this site exists
Search for what a new roof costs and you will mostly find lead-generation sites. They ask for your postcode, then your name, then your phone number, and the "estimate" is the bait. Your details are then sold to several contractors who call you for weeks. The number you came for is usually vague, occasionally invented, and never shows how it was reached.
We built the opposite. Every calculator here runs entirely in your browser. There is no form to fill in, no email gate and no data collection, because we are not selling anything to contractors. And every rate we use is published in full, so if you think a figure is wrong you can see precisely which one and say so.
How we make money
Advertising. This site displays ads, currently through Google AdSense, and that revenue pays for hosting and for the time spent researching and maintaining the rate tables.
It matters that this is the only way we are paid. We do not take commissions from contractors, insurers or installers. We do not sell or share the information you type into a calculator — it never leaves your device to begin with. No company can pay to change a number on this site, be recommended by it, or be excluded from criticism on it. When we say a sales tactic is predatory or an assumption is optimistic, no advertiser relationship is pulling in the other direction.
Where the numbers come from
Rates are compiled from published contractor pricing guides, manufacturer and supplier list pricing, publicly available cost surveys and published insurance rating factors, then cross-checked against ranges quoted by regional trade sources. Everything is calibrated to 2026 US pricing and reviewed on a regular cycle. The complete tables, multipliers and formulas are on the methodology page.
What we get right, and what we cannot
A calculator can tell you whether a quote is in the right postcode. It cannot tell you what your specific roof will cost, because nobody can know that until the old material comes off and the decking is visible. We publish ranges rather than single figures for exactly that reason, and we would rather be usefully approximate than precisely wrong.
We are not roofers, licensed adjusters, insurance agents, tax advisers or attorneys, and nothing here is professional advice. Use these tools to prepare for a conversation with a licensed local professional — to know which questions to ask and which line items to check — not to replace one.
Editorial standards
- Every calculator's full formula and rate table is published.
- Estimates are ranges. We state the assumptions behind the range.
- Where law or incentive rules are unsettled, we say so and default to the conservative case rather than quoting a figure that may be obsolete.
- Pages carry a last-reviewed date. When we correct something material, we correct it rather than quietly editing.
- No paid placements, no affiliate steering, no advertiser influence over content.
Corrections and contact
If you work in one of these trades and a number here does not match your market, tell us — that feedback is the most valuable thing we receive. Reach us through the contact page.
Publisher
HomeCostDesk is an independent publication written and maintained by Antonio.
Editorial enquiries, corrections and press: see contact.