Pick your project and your metro. We show the range, what sits behind it, and what pushes a real quote toward the top or the bottom of it.
Materials priced from current published retailer and manufacturer listings; labor from US Bureau of Labor Statistics wages for that trade in your metro. Planning estimates, not quotes — get three written quotes before you commit. Full method and sources · Contractor red flags
home improvement runs from about $625 for single window (insert) up to $73,500 for master bath expansion, installed, at national average wages. Within any one scope the low end is a lean independent contractor fitting mid-grade material and the high end is a national in-home-sales company fitting premium material — both are prices real homeowners pay for the same nominal job.
| Job | Trade | Materials | Labor | Typical installed price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tub-to-Shower Conversion | Bathroom Remodeling | $1,452–$4,732 | $1,241 | $4,200–$14,500 |
| Vanity & Fixture Update | Bathroom Remodeling | $2,567–$5,165 | $620 | $4,900–$14,000 |
| Full Bath Remodel (mid-range) | Bathroom Remodeling | $4,555–$11,310 | $5,170 | $15,000–$39,500 |
| Master Bath Expansion | Bathroom Remodeling | $8,337–$17,255 | $13,443 | $34,000–$73,500 |
| Steel Entry Door | Door Replacement | $537–$757 | $188 | $1,100–$2,300 |
| Fiberglass Entry Door | Door Replacement | $799–$1,365 | $212 | $1,600–$3,800 |
| Patio Door (sliding or French) | Door Replacement | $798–$1,018 | $282 | $1,700–$3,100 |
| Wood Entry Door (custom) | Door Replacement | $2,069–$2,289 | $470 | $3,900–$6,600 |
| LVP / Laminate (per 500 sq ft) | Flooring Installation | $862–$2,755 | $619 | $2,300–$8,100 |
| Engineered Hardwood (per 500 sq ft) | Flooring Installation | $1,240–$4,375 | $575 | $2,800–$12,000 |
| Tile / Stone (per 500 sq ft) | Flooring Installation | $482–$2,185 | $1,681 | $3,400–$9,300 |
| Solid Hardwood (per 500 sq ft) | Flooring Installation | $2,698–$4,537 | $619 | $5,100–$12,500 |
| Seamless Aluminum (standard home) | Gutter Installation | $830–$1,164 | $437 | $2,000–$3,800 |
| Seamless + Gutter Guards | Gutter Installation | $1,034–$2,260 | $700 | $2,700–$7,100 |
| Oversized / Steep Pitch Premium | Gutter Installation | $1,019–$1,164 | $787 | $2,800–$4,700 |
| Copper Gutters | Gutter Installation | $3,098–$3,243 | $1,750 | $7,500–$12,000 |
| Small Home (<1,500 sq ft) | Roof Replacement | $3,046–$7,208 | $1,649 | $7,300–$21,500 |
| Average Home (1,500-2,500 sq ft) | Roof Replacement | $4,121–$9,754 | $1,874 | $9,300–$28,000 |
| Large Home (>2,500 sq ft) | Roof Replacement | $5,665–$13,407 | $2,186 | $12,000–$37,500 |
| Metal Roofing (average home) | Roof Replacement | $6,587–$18,957 | $3,644 | $16,000–$54,000 |
| Vinyl Siding (average home) | Siding Replacement | $2,566–$5,169 | $2,586 | $8,000–$18,500 |
| Engineered Wood Siding | Siding Replacement | $6,355–$9,377 | $4,137 | $16,500–$32,500 |
| Fiber Cement / Hardie (average home) | Siding Replacement | $6,355–$9,377 | $5,171 | $18,000–$35,000 |
| Cedar / Natural Wood Siding | Siding Replacement | $14,175–$14,415 | $6,205 | $31,500–$49,500 |
| Single Window (insert) | Window Replacement | $314–$695 | $94 | $625–$1,900 |
| Single Window (full replacement) | Window Replacement | $265–$539 | $235 | $775–$1,900 |
| Full Home (10-12 windows) | Window Replacement | $2,815–$6,247 | $1,128 | $6,100–$17,500 |
| Full Home (premium/wood) | Window Replacement | $5,609–$6,729 | $2,821 | $13,000–$23,000 |
Materials include a waste allowance and the accessories the job needs. Labor is hours at the trade wage plus the employer cost of employing someone. The installed price applies the overhead-and-profit multiplier a contractor has to charge to stay in business — the line most cost guides leave out, and the reason online estimates come in under real quotes.
Partly, and less than most people expect. Material ships from the same plants and costs about the same everywhere, so only the labor part of the job tracks local wages. Roughly 30% of a home improvement job is labor, so a metro paying 20% above the national wage adds about 6% to the total, not 20%. Pick your metro above and the figure recomputes on that basis.
Wages come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for that specific trade, May 2025. Material prices are current published retailer and manufacturer listings, recorded per product with the page they came from. Nothing here is copied from another cost guide. These are planning estimates, not quotes — no formula can see your house. Get at least three written quotes before you commit. The full method, every input and what we still treat as an assumption.
