Methodology

Every cost range on RenovCost is built from a national baseline, adjusted city-by-city. Here is exactly how that works.

Data sources

We assemble baseline cost ranges from a combination of public and industry sources, including:

  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) — construction and trade wage data, Producer Price Index for materials
  • US Census Bureau — housing characteristics and permit data
  • HUD Fair Market Rent and BEA regional price parities — used as inputs to our cost-of-living index
  • Manufacturer list pricing for materials (cabinets, roofing, windows, flooring) and aggregated retail data from major suppliers
  • Contractor-published rate sheets and trade-association labor estimates where available

The city cost-of-living adjustment

Each of the 43 cities in our coverage carries a multiplier built from local labor wages, regional materials pricing, and metro-level cost parity. A national-baseline kitchen remodel becomes a San Francisco kitchen remodel by multiplying the labor and materials components by the San Francisco multiplier — roughly 1.45× the US baseline as of early 2026. Houston, by contrast, sits near 0.95×.

Permits, inspections, and disposal fees are layered in separately using city or state schedules where they meaningfully differ from national norms.

Finish tiers

Every project page presents three tiers: Basic, Mid, and Premium. Tier definitions are project-specific. For a kitchen remodel:

  • Basic: stock cabinets, laminate counters, mid-range stainless appliances, vinyl plank floor
  • Mid: semi-custom cabinets, quartz counters, mid-tier appliances, hardwood or tile floor, modest layout changes
  • Premium: custom cabinets, premium stone, pro-grade appliances, layout changes including walls or plumbing relocation

What the calculator does

The interactive calculator combines four inputs — project size, finish tier, scope multipliers (e.g. layout change, structural work), and the city multiplier — to produce a low–high range. Ranges are intentionally wide enough to absorb normal contractor-to-contractor variation; they are not bids and are not a substitute for a written quote.

Update cadence

We refresh material prices each spring as the BLS Producer Price Index data lands, and labor multipliers each summer when updated wage data is published. City multipliers are recalibrated annually. Pages carry a "Updated for 2026" badge to indicate they reflect the most recent refresh.

Limitations

Cost ranges on RenovCost are estimates, not guaranteed prices. They do not account for unique site conditions (asbestos remediation, deep structural work, custom architectural design fees), unusual luxury finishes well above our Premium tier, or off-cycle market shocks (post-disaster supply spikes, large tariff changes). Always get multiple written bids before committing to a project.

Corrections

If a number looks wrong for your city — or you have local data that would improve our model — please contact us.