Home Replacement Cost Calculator

Replacement cost is what it would take to rebuild the house, which is a different number from what it would sell for, because the land does not burn. Enter the finished square footage, a construction rate from a local builder or from your insurer's own estimate, and a finish level, and the tool adds demolition, design and permits, and a margin for the price spikes that follow a widespread disaster. Put your Coverage A limit in and it also reports the shortfall and whether the policy clears the 80 per cent mark that most loss settlement clauses require. A second action shows what a partial claim actually pays when the limit is below that mark. The local rate is an input rather than a built-in table, because construction costs move by town and by year and an invented rate would decide the whole answer.

Calculator Type

Areas and Rate In

Square feet Square metres

Both areas and the construction rate below are read in whichever you pick, and every figure comes back in it.

Enter a local construction rate. Every line below is shown with the figure it came from.

Finished Living Space (sq ft) *

Above grade finished area, the same figure a listing would quote. 100 to 30,000 square feet, or 9.3 to 2,787 square metres.

Local Construction Cost per Unit of Area ($) *

Per square foot, or per square metre if you chose metres above. Your number, from a local builder or from the insurer estimate. It decides most of this answer.

Finish Level

A straight multiplier on the rate above, shown on each option. It is a ratio, so it is the same number in both units.

Garage and Unfinished Space (sq ft)

In the same unit. Up to 5,000 square feet, or 464 square metres.

Garage Cost as a Share of the Rate (%)

Unfinished space costs less per foot than finished space. Half is a common working figure.

Demolition and Debris Removal (% of structure)

Clearing what is left before anything can be built. Many policies cap this separately.

Design, Engineering and Permits (%)

Demand Surge and Contingency (%)

After a wildfire or a hurricane every contractor in the county is busy at once and prices rise. This is the line that covers it.

Dwelling Coverage on Your Policy ($, optional)

Coverage A on the declarations page. Leave at zero to skip the comparison.

Widget