Modern wood-and-stone home glowing at dusk in a forest clearing
TrueBuildCost

Build & project estimates

Know what it actually costs—before you commit.

Two tools, same ZIP-tuned ranges: plan a full new home, or price a single project on the house you already have.

Enter a city or ZIP

Free · No account needed · You’ll choose build or project next

Three tools

Choose your path.

Building a house, remodeling a room, or ordering materials aren’t the same job—so they aren’t the same tool. Cost tools start with your ZIP; calculators are ready anytime.

Wooden house frame under construction

Tool 01

New home build

Plan a full house from land and site work through soft costs—one all-in low / expected / high range for where you’re building.

  • Land, site, house, and soft-cost chapters
  • Compare ZIPs and saved builds
  • Cost of living after you build
Kitchen remodel in progress

Tool 02

Project / remodel

Price one job on the house you already have—roofing, HVAC, a kitchen, and more—with a local range, cost mix, and typical process.

  • Dozens of common home projects
  • Labor vs materials on your total
  • Steps, timeline, and what’s included
Gravel driveway material

Tool 03

Material calculators

Figure gravel, concrete, paint, mulch, and more in yards, tons, or gallons—handy when you’re ordering materials, not pricing a full remodel.

  • Free quantity math for common materials
  • Depth, area, and coverage built in
  • No ZIP or account required

New home build

The full picture of what a house costs.

Walk through every chapter—land, site, house, soft costs—then compare places and see what it costs to live there after you build.

01 · All-in estimate

Build an all-in estimate you can actually use.

Land, site work, house, soft costs—add only what applies. Skip what doesn’t. Walk away with low, most likely, and high—not a single fake square-footage number.

Estimate a full house build

Most likely · Coeur d'Alene

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Low

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Expected

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High

$0

Illustrative mid-size custom home · wooded acreage · Idaho

02 · Compare locations

Stack two places side by side.

Save a build, start another ZIP, then compare true build cost line by line—so Austin and a rural lot don’t pretend to share the same sticker price.

Open compare

Your builds

Pick two places to compare

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  • Austin, TX

    $0 most likely

  • Coeur d'Alene, ID

    $0 most likely

  • Casper, WY

    $0 most likely

Austin vs Coeur d'Alene

$0apart

03 · Cost of living

See what day-to-day life costs after you build.

Groceries, utilities, and property-tax estimates for your metro—so the house total isn’t the only number in the conversation.

Groceries · Austin

Everyday basket

  • Milk

    per gallon

    $0.00

  • Eggs

    per dozen

    $0.00

  • Bread

    per lb

    $0.00

  • Ground beef

    per lb

    $0.00

Same items appear in your estimate’s living-costs view—scaled to ZIP.

04 · Living index

Know where your place sits vs the U.S.

A BEA Regional Price Parity puts your metro or state in context vs the U.S.—and the Top 20 list shows how places stack for building and living together.

Browse Top 20

Cost of living index

100 / 100

About average vs U.S. · Des Moines, IA

U.S. = 100

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CheaperU.S. 100Costlier

BEA Regional Price Parity (U.S. = 100)—building cost and living cost rarely move together.

Project / remodel

Price the job you’re actually doing.

Not building a whole house? Pick a single project—roofing, HVAC, kitchen, and more—and get a local low / expected / high with process steps and a clear cost mix.

Estimate a project
Roofing
Windows
Siding
Doors
Gutters
Decks / Porches
Solar
HVAC / Heating & Cooling
Plumbing
Electrical
Insulation
Water heaters
Water filtration / treatment
Generators
Kitchen remodel
Bathroom remodel
Cabinets
Flooring
Driveway
Septic
Fencing
Concrete / leveling
Foundation
Foundation repair
Basement waterproofing
Garage
Garage doors
Interior painting
Countertops
Drywall
House cleaning
Local moving
Landscaping
Lawn care
Swimming pools
Pressure washing
Snow removal
Handyman services
Land surveying
Pest control
Junk removal
Sheds
Home additions
Roofing
Windows
Siding
Doors
Gutters
Decks / Porches
Solar
HVAC / Heating & Cooling
Plumbing
Electrical
Insulation
Water heaters
Water filtration / treatment
Generators
Kitchen remodel
Bathroom remodel
Cabinets
Flooring
Driveway
Septic
Fencing
Concrete / leveling
Foundation
Foundation repair
Basement waterproofing
Garage
Garage doors
Interior painting
Countertops
Drywall
House cleaning
Local moving
Landscaping
Lawn care
Swimming pools
Pressure washing
Snow removal
Handyman services
Land surveying
Pest control
Junk removal
Sheds
Home additions

01 · Cost mix

See where the money typically goes.

Every project page splits labor versus materials on your expected cost—so you understand how the estimate is composed, not just the total.

HVAC · illustrative

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Labor · 0%

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Materials · 0%

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Typical timeline

1–3 days on site

Plus numbered steps for how the job usually goes—from inspect to finish—so you know what to expect.

Local contractors

Matched local listings are coming soon—so you can go from a planning range to real pros on the same page.

02 · Process & pros

Know the steps—and who can do the work.

Each project includes a typical timeline, what’s included, what drives the cost, and a place for local contractors near your ZIP.

Browse all projects

The problem

Cost advice is either too vague—or arrives too late.

Same gap whether you’re buying land for a new house or pricing a remodel on the one you own: you need a local planning range before the quotes pile up.

National averages ignore where you are

A headline $/sqft—or a national “kitchen remodel” number—doesn’t know your metro, your lot, or your house.

Real quotes arrive too late

You need a planning number before you bid land, call a lender, or book five contractors—not after you’ve already committed.

You’re left guessing the scope

Whether it’s soft costs on a new build or what’s included in a roof job, most DIY research skips the chapters that blow the budget.

Examples

Both tools. Real places.

Illustrative planning ranges—open any one to tune it to your ZIP.

New home build

Full-house examples

  • Craftsman-style home on wooded acreage near Coeur d'Alene

    Coeur d'Alene, ID

    $0

    2,000 sq ft, 3 beds, 2 baths, and a two-car garage. All default costs included.

  • Contemporary Austin home

    Austin, TX

    $0

    The same complete default build, priced for Austin—including land and soft costs.

Have a place in mind? Start from your ZIP and build a planning range.

Project / remodel

Single-job examples

  • HVAC equipment

    HVAC replacement

    $0

    Local low / expected / high with a labor–materials split.

  • Kitchen remodel

    Kitchen remodel

    $0

    A planning range for the job you’re actually doing—not a whole-house total.

Remodeling instead? Price one job for where you live.

Also useful — Material calculators

Need yards, gallons, or sheets?

Free material quantity calculators for gravel, concrete, paint, and more—handy when you’re ordering, not a ZIP-tuned remodel estimate.

Browse calculators
Gravel

Gravel

Estimate cubic yards, tons, and rough delivery cost for driveway or drainage gravel.

Concrete

Concrete

Estimate ready-mix yards, weight, and bag counts for slabs, patios, and footings.

Paint

Paint

Estimate gallons for room walls, ceilings, trim, doors, windows, coats, and texture waste.

Mulch

Mulch

Calculate mulch cubic yards for beds, tree rings, and landscape refreshes.

Ready when you are

Pick a tool. Enter a ZIP. Leave with a range you trust.

Progress saves in this browser. No signup wall.

TrueBuildCost

ZIP-tuned planning ranges for a full house build or a single remodel—made to clarify what’s involved before the first bid.

Start with your ZIPBrowse projects

New home

  • Estimate a full house
  • How estimates work
  • Land & build checklist
  • Cost by state
  • Top 20 places
  • Compare builds

Projects

  • Browse projects
  • How project estimates work
  • Remodel checklist
  • Remodel ROI

Tools

  • Material calculators
  • Projects
  • Remodel ROI

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