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Terms of use

The short version: everything here is a planning estimate, not a quote, an appraisal or a coverage decision. Use it to sanity-check the numbers you are being given. Do not use it as the number itself.

Last updated 22 August 2026

What you are getting

ReplaceCost publishes calculators and written guides that estimate what it costs to replace parts of a home, and how much of that cost a homeowners policy is likely to pay. Every figure produced is a planning range built from published pricing data and documented assumptions, shown alongside the assumptions themselves so you can check them.

The calculators run entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored or sold. There is no account, and an email address is never required. The privacy policy covers this in full.

What you are not getting

Nothing on this site is any of the following, and it should not be relied on as if it were:

• Not a contractor quote. Only a contractor who has inspected the property can price the work. Decking condition, access, code upgrades and regional labor availability move real prices well outside a published range.
• Not an insurance coverage decision. Your policy language, endorsements, exclusions, roof-age payout caps and your carrier’s own depreciation schedule control what is actually paid. This site cannot see any of those.
• Not an appraisal or valuation. Replacement cost here means the cost to replace an item, not the market value of a property or the dwelling coverage limit on a policy.
• Not legal, tax or financial advice. Guides on permits, financing and tax treatment describe how things commonly work. They are not advice about your situation.
• Not a public adjuster or claims service. ReplaceCost does not file, negotiate or represent claims and takes no fee from any settlement.

If a figure on this site disagrees with a written quote or a carrier’s worksheet, the written document governs. The value of the calculator is that it tells you which line to ask about.

Accuracy, review and corrections

Cost ranges are reviewed on a documented schedule and after any material federal rule change, against contractor quotes, materials pricing and Bureau of Labor Statistics producer-price data. Insurance definitions are checked against the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The methodology sets out the units, line items and depreciation model; the editorial policy sets out authorship, evidence rules and how corrections are prioritised.

Prices move and rules change. A figure that was accurate at the review date printed on a page may not be accurate today. If you find a number that looks wrong, please send a current source or a redacted written quote — that is how the assumptions get fixed.

Limitation of liability

The site and everything on it are provided on an “as is” basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or accuracy. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, ReplaceCost is not liable for any loss, cost, shortfall or damage arising from decisions made in reliance on these estimates — including any difference between an estimate here and what a contractor charges or an insurer pays.

Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, and nothing here affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

Using our content

The text, calculators, source code, charts and figures on this site are original work and remain the property of ReplaceCost. You may quote a short passage or reproduce one of the figures for non-commercial or editorial use provided you credit ReplaceCost and link to the page it came from.

Bulk copying, scraping to rebuild the calculators, or republishing the guides as your own is not permitted. For any other reuse, including commercial licensing of the charts, ask first — permission is usually straightforward.

Advertising and third-party links

This site carries display advertising, which is kept visually and editorially separate from the content. Advertisers have no input into cost ranges, recommendations or which tools exist. Links to outside organisations — carriers, government agencies, standards bodies — are provided for verification. ReplaceCost does not control those sites and is not responsible for their content or their handling of your data.

Changes to these terms

These terms may be updated as the site changes. The review date at the top of this page always reflects the current version, and material changes are noted in the editorial policy change log rather than applied silently.

Questions

Anything unclear here, or a correction to raise, goes through the contact page. Questions about what your own policy pays should go to your agent or carrier, who can read your declarations page — this site cannot.