About ProjectCostPro

Planning-range cost calculators for construction projects. Built for the moment between "I'm thinking about doing this" and "I'm ready to call three contractors."

Founder & author

Martin Lashgari, Ph.D., P.E., PMP

I’m a structural engineer by training — Ph.D., licensed Professional Engineer, and PMP-certified project manager. I built ProjectCostPro after watching too many homeowners, friends, and clients get blindsided by construction-project costs that didn’t match what the online cost guides had told them to expect. Most “cost calculators” on the web either gate the result behind an email signup, route you straight into a contractor-lead funnel, or quote a single national average that’s useless for the actual project in front of you.

My engineering specialty is structural — foundations, slabs, decks, retaining walls, pole barns, and renovation load paths — not roofing systems, HVAC, or kitchen finishes. So I don’t pretend to be every kind of contractor. What I am good at is reading codes (IRC, IBC, IPC, IFGC, IMC, ACCA Manual J), reading BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and building defensible cost models that don’t hand-wave their inputs. The same rigor a P.E. applies to a beam calculation is what I apply to a planning-range cost band: state the assumption, cite the source, show the math, label the uncertainty.

ProjectCostPro is not a substitute for a licensed contractor, your local permit office, or — for any structural, electrical, gas, septic, or life-safety scope — a professional inspection. The cost ranges here are planning estimates, not bids. Always work with a licensed professional in your state for the actual work.

What this is

ProjectCostPro is a free, no-login planning tool. It gives a low-to-high cost band for 52 common home and commercial construction projects, broken down into materials, labor, equipment, permits, and contractor markup. Every estimate adjusts to your ZIP code or state.

It is built around real scope inputs — dimensions, material grade, access difficulty, demolition, permits — not just a single average per project type. The result is closer to what a contractor would quote than what a generic cost-guide article would say.

Who it’s for

Homeowners planning a project, comparing financing options, or testing a contractor quote.
DIYers sizing materials before a hardware-store run, or deciding whether to hire out the harder parts.
Contractors and remodelers spot-checking their own pricing against published benchmarks before sending a quote.
Property managers and real-estate professionals estimating capital expenditures, deferred maintenance, or pre-listing renovations.
Insurance and claims professionals validating repair scopes.

What it does

Calculates planning-range costs from real scope inputs (not just averages)
Shows separate lines for materials, labor, equipment, permits, and contractor overhead/profit
Adjusts pricing to your area via ZIP-zone or state-average multipliers
Includes a bid-check tool to compare a contractor's quote against the planning band
Cites the source for every rate row in each calculator's CSV

What it does not do

Replace an actual contractor bid for the work
Replace inspections, engineering, or local code review
Account for unique site conditions (underground utilities, asbestos, mold, hidden damage, soil instability)
Calculate financing, financing terms, taxes, or insurance
Provide health, safety, legal, or financial advice

For any project that requires a permit or affects life-safety systems (electrical, gas, structural, septic, sewer, mold, radon), use this calculator for budgeting and then hire a licensed professional. The numbers we give you are a planning floor, not a guarantee.