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AboutWhy this site shows two numbers instead of one
Every replacement cost site on the internet will tell you what a new roof costs. Almost none will tell you what your insurer is going to pay for it. That gap is the entire reason this site exists.
Who writes this
My name is Mantu Kumar. I build and maintain this site on my own — the calculators, the rate research, the source checking and the corrections. There is no content team behind the byline, and when you send a correction it reaches me rather than a queue.
What I am not is worth saying first, because on a subject like this it matters more than a list of things I am. I am not a roofing contractor, an insurance adjuster, an engineer or a licensed insurance professional. I have never inspected your roof and I cannot tell you what your policy covers. Nothing here is a quote, an appraisal or a coverage decision, and any page that starts to sound like one is a page I have written badly.
What I do is narrower and, I think, more useful. Replacement cost is arithmetic: a measured quantity, a unit rate, a labor component, a regional adjustment. Insurance settlement is also arithmetic: a replacement figure, a depreciation schedule, a deductible. Both sets of numbers are knowable. Neither is usually shown to the person who has to pay the difference. So I work them out in the open, publish the inputs alongside the answer, and link the source for every rate and rule so you can check the working instead of taking my word for it. Where I have modeled something rather than measured it — useful life, waste allowance, a regional index — the page says so.
I get things wrong sometimes. When that happens I would rather fix it visibly than quietly, so the editorial policy sets out how corrections are handled and the methodology page shows the assumptions behind every number. If a figure on this site does not match a written quote or your own declarations page, tell me — send the page, the inputs you used and the figure you are comparing against, and I will look at the assumption rather than defend it.
The problem
A homeowner gets a quote for $19,000. Their insurer sends a check for $7,000. Nobody explained that the policy was actual cash value, that a roof depreciates, or that eleven years of wear had already been deducted before the check was written.
The information exists. It is buried in policy documents written for adjusters, not homeowners. This site takes the same arithmetic and puts it next to the cost estimate, where it is useful.
What the site covers
Eight replacement estimators plus a standalone claim gap tool, each priced the way that trade is actually bid rather than by multiplying floor area by a national average:
| Estimator | Priced by | The insurance angle |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | Squares, adjusted for pitch and waste | ACV vs RCV, buyback, recoverable depreciation |
| Solar | Dollars per watt, sized from your bill | The 25D credit expired — who still gets one |
| HVAC | Tonnage, from usage not floor area | Equipment breakdown is a separate endorsement |
| Windows | Per opening, insert or full-frame | One window often costs less than the deductible |
| Water heater | Capacity and fuel, tank or tankless | Sudden burst covered, slow leak excluded |
| Flooring | Square feet, plus subfloor and removal | The largest line in most water claims |
| Siding | Wall area, not floor area | The matching problem on discontinued product |
| Gutters | Linear feet, sectional or seamless | Usually only worth claiming alongside the roof |
| Claim gap | Your own replacement figure | First check, depreciation holdback, final share |
How the estimates are built
Costs are worked out the way a contractor bids a job, not by multiplying floor area by a national average:
- Your footprint is converted to actual roof surface using the pitch, with real geometry — √(1 + (rise/12)²)
- A waste allowance is added for cuts around hips, valleys and dormers
- The result is converted to squares, the unit contractors actually quote in
- Material, tear-off, decking and permit are priced as separate line items
- Labor-bearing lines carry a regional index, plus surcharges for steep pitch and height
Every result shows this working underneath it. If a figure looks wrong, you can see which input produced it and change that input.
What each tool measures
The eleven estimators share one rule: use the unit a contractor or adjuster actually works with, then show the scope instead of hiding it inside a national-average total. Each result now adds an animated system drawing and cost matrix, but those graphics read the completed calculation—they do not alter its rates or arithmetic.
| Tool | Primary inputs | Result detail |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | Footprint, pitch, material and layers | Roof squares, waste, tear-off, deck allowance and ACV/RCV split |
| Solar | Electric bill, utility rate, sun hours and roof age | System kW, dollars per watt, production, savings and payback |
| HVAC | Home size, system type, tonnage and efficiency | Equipment, installation, related work and insurance depreciation |
| Windows | Opening count, size, frame, glazing and install type | Per-window and whole-house range, trim, access and policy split |
| Water heater | Type, capacity, fuel, access and current age | Unit, connections, removal, service life and claim comparison |
| Siding | Wall area, material, stories and repair allowance | Courses, tear-off, wrap or sheathing, trim and disposal |
| Gutters | Linear run, material, style, downspouts and guards | Drainage system, fascia allowance, access and line-item range |
| Flooring | Area, material, removal, leveling and subfloor repair | Installed finish, preparation, transitions, disposal and matching risk |
| Fence | Linear feet, material, height, gates and ground | Fence line, gates, removal, permit and Other Structures payout split |
| Deck | Deck area, decking, height, railing and stairs | Platform, railing, stairs, demolition, permit and payout split |
| Claim gap | Replacement cost, age, expected life and deductible | First check, ACV share, recoverable depreciation and completed RCV path |
Companion tools
Eight companion tools answer the questions that sit around a replacement rather than pricing a single trade:
| Tool | Primary inputs | Result detail |
|---|---|---|
| Home rebuild cost | Living area, quality, stories, foundation, rooms and region | Rebuild range per sq ft, Coverage A and 80% rule check, code upgrades and loss of use |
| Roof area | House size, measurements or roof planes, pitch and waste | Roof squares, bundles, underlayment and trim, with a hand-off to the roof calculator |
| Roof tax | How the home is used, cost, month finished and tax bracket | Deduction, 27.5- or 39-year depreciation schedule, or cost basis |
| Roof grants | Household size, income, age, ownership and location | Programs sorted by fit, why each appears, and what to have ready |
| Should I file a claim? | Damage, deductible, settlement type, premium and claim history | File-or-pay verdict, money flow, break-even damage and premium cost |
| Water damage | Wet area, rooms, water category, delay, flood cut, flooring and cause | Mitigation and rebuild split, wall section, itemized lines and likely coverage |
| Repair or replace | System, age, expected life, repair quote and replacement price | Rules of thumb, age check, cost per year and cost over time |
| AC size | Room or whole-home area, climate, insulation, sun, people and ceilings | BTU or tons, ENERGY STAR row, and a size check against common units |
How to read the animated result
The first graphic identifies the physical system being priced. The composition matrix then scales each visible line item so the largest modeled driver is easy to find. Lean, midpoint and complex scenarios preserve the calculator’s original low and high totals; they are not extra forecasts. Finally, the quote checklist calls out the measurements, exclusions and related work that should be confirmed in writing.
- System graphic: a tool-specific SVG that shows the assembly or payment path.
- Cost matrix: the same line items already produced by the estimator, visualized by midpoint share.
- Scenario range: the original low, midpoint and high values in a comparable format.
- Decision summary: the biggest modeled driver, full spread and next questions to ask.
How the insurance side is modeled
Depreciation is applied straight-line against the expected life of the material, floored at a 20% residual value because most carriers do not depreciate a roof to zero. From that, the site shows the actual cash value, the replacement cost value, the recoverable depreciation, and what each policy type leaves you paying.
Carriers vary. Some use their own depreciation schedules, some cap payouts by roof age, and some apply a separate percentage deductible for wind and hail. The model is a reasonable approximation, not a reading of your specific policy.
Why every result compares itself to published pricing
Under each estimate is a like-for-like comparison against figures from HomeGuide, Angi, HomeAdvisor, NerdWallet, Modernize, Homewyse, Fixr, EnergySage and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The comparison is deliberately careful about scope. Published rates rarely cover what a quote covers — Homewyse quotes window installation without the window, Modernize quotes siding without trim or tear-off. Comparing an all-in total against those numbers would flatter or damn the estimate for no reason. Each row is matched to the corresponding line item instead, and says what it includes.
What this site will not do
- Ask for your email. The calculators run in your browser. There is no signup, no gate, no drip sequence. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. If you press Save on a result, the figures are kept in your own browser so the form is filled in next time — on your device only, and removable with Clear.
- Pretend to be a quote. These are ranges built from published pricing. A written quote from a licensed contractor is a different thing, and you should get one.
- Tell you whether you are covered. Only your policy documents and your adjuster can answer that. The site can tell you what questions to ask them.
How it is funded
Advertising, and in some places affiliate links to quote services. Neither changes the numbers a calculator produces — the arithmetic does not know or care whether an ad was clicked. Where a link is commercial it is marked on the page. The privacy policy covers what advertising cookies do.
Worked example: the two numbers this site always shows
Every trade page is built to show a replacement range and, where insurance applies, the first check after age and the deductible. This is the roof case used across the site. Age 18, 28-year architectural life, $1,350 deductible.
$16,805 replacement, $4,652 first check
Worked example| Replacement, today’s price | $16,805 |
| Depreciation at 18 ÷ 28 | $10,803 |
| Actual cash value | $6,002 |
| First check after the deductible | $4,652 |
| What an ACV policy leaves you | $12,153 |
| The second number is the one quotes hide | $4,652 |
The range is a planning model, not a bid and not a coverage decision. Regional indexes move labor. They are not a price for each city. Sources and the review cycle are on the methodology page.
Methodology and accountability
The calculator methodology documents the trade units, range logic, regional treatment, insurance model, source hierarchy and review cycle used across every tool. The editorial policy explains authorship, corrections, commercial independence and responsible use of AI-assisted drafting and code. ReplaceCost does not invent an individual expert, reviewer or professional credential.