About Every Line Item

Most construction cost content gives you a range and stops. “$150,000 to $400,000.” That range is technically correct and practically useless — it is wide enough to include a garage conversion and a coastal custom build.

Every Line Item does one thing instead: we model a specific scenario and price every phase of it.

The six-phase ledger

Every build on this site is broken into the same six phases:

1. Soft costs — design, permits, plan check
2. Site work and foundation — excavation, footings, utility trenching
3. Framing and structure — lumber, labor, trusses, sheathing
4. Building envelope — roofing, windows, siding
5. Systems and interior — electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, kitchen, bath
6. Landscaping and hardscape — paths, planting, finish grading

The schema never changes. That is the point.

Because every build uses the same six rows, you can hold any two projects side by side and the lines still match up. An 800 sq ft new build against a garage conversion. A coastal build against an inland one. That comparison does not exist in any public dataset we are aware of, and it is the reason this site exists.

It also means you can take your own contractor quote, sort it into these six rows, and see exactly which line does not match.

→ Compare any two builds side by side · Download the six-phase worksheet (CSV) · Get quarterly benchmark ranges

What we do not do

This matters more than what we do, because it is what makes the numbers worth reading.

• We do not build ADUs. No construction company, no design-build arm.
• We do not sell plans. There is nothing on this site to buy that depends on you deciding to build.
• We do not sell your information to contractors. No lead forms, no “get matched with a builder,” no data sharing.
• We do not take money from anyone whose costs we publish. No builder, modular company, or lender has paid for, reviewed, or influenced any figure here.

If a number looks bad for the industry, we publish it anyway. If we get one wrong, we correct it in public and log the change.

How this site makes money

Currently it does not. If that changes, it will be through display advertising, affiliate links to software tools, or paid resources we make ourselves — never through contractor referrals or lead generation. Any affiliate relationship will be disclosed on the page where it appears.

That constraint costs us the most lucrative revenue in this niche. It is also the only reason the numbers mean anything.

Corrections

Found a figure that does not match your local permit records or your actual quote? That is the most useful message we can get.

See Corrections for our correction policy and the full change log.

Methodology

Every source, every assumption, and every known limitation is documented on the Methodology page.

Privacy

How we handle email signups and related data is on the Privacy Policy page.