Construction & Home Calculators

The expensive mistakes on a home project usually happen before the first cut: ordering too little concrete and getting a cold joint, ordering gravel in yards when the quarry sells tons, or discovering mid-pour that the subgrade swallowed an extra quarter yard. These calculators exist to front-load that arithmetic. Each one converts your measurements into the units suppliers sell (cubic yards and 60 lb bags for concrete, tons for gravel, bundles and squares for shingles, board feet for hardwood) with realistic waste and compaction factors built in rather than bolted on.

The tools share a philosophy: show the formula, walk a real example, and state the assumptions, so you can check the math instead of trusting it. Where safety or code enters the picture (stair riser limits, footing specs, post depths), the calculators flag the rule and point you to your building department. Start with the material you're buying next. Every tool cross-links its neighbours, and the cut list optimizer will lay your plywood parts onto sheets when the project graduates from estimating to cutting.

• Concrete Calculator

  Slabs, footings, and round columns: cubic yards plus 60 lb and 80 lb bag counts.

• Gravel Calculator

  Area and depth to cubic yards and tons, with density presets for crushed stone, pea gravel, and sand.

• Mulch Calculator

  Rectangular and circular beds to cubic yards and bag counts at your chosen depth.

• Paint Calculator

  Room size to gallons: wall area minus doors and windows, per coat, at your paint’s coverage rate.

• Roofing Calculator

  Footprint and pitch to roof area, shingle squares, and bundle counts with waste included.

• Board Foot Calculator

  Thickness, width, length, and quantity to board feet, with total cost at your price per BF.

• Stair Stringer Calculator

  Total rise to riser height, tread count, total run, and stringer length, with code checks.

• Fence Calculator

  Run length and post spacing to posts, rails, pickets, and concrete bags.

• Room Lumen Calculator

  How much light a room needs: foot-candles or lux to total lumens and bulb count, with room shape and surface reflectance accounted for.

• Plywood Cut List Optimizer

  Nest your parts onto sheets with a real blade kerf: sheet counts, cut diagrams, offcuts, and an Excel export.