Restoration
Disaster Restoration Cost Calculator
Prices large loss work, where project management is the service being bought.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus equipment, materials and the call-out, at a scale where coordination dominates. A large loss involves multiple trades, extended timelines, substantial equipment, often contents pack-out and storage, and frequently a building that cannot be occupied. The pricing structure resembles a smaller job but the proportion changes: project management, documentation, scheduling and insurer liaison are a real share of the value rather than overhead, because a project of this size fails on coordination rather than on technique.
What moves the number
- Scale and duration, which bring supervision and mobilisation costs a small job does not.
- Number of trades to coordinate and sequence.
- Contents handling, including pack-out, cleaning, storage and return.
- Whether the building is occupied, which constrains everything.
Where this one goes wrong
On a large loss the documentation is the project. Daily logs, moisture records, equipment placement, photographic records by area and date, and a clear scope narrative are what get a long, expensive project paid, and reconstructing them afterwards is not possible. Build the recording into the workflow from day one. Communication is the other thing that determines how this goes: a displaced household or a closed business is under real pressure, and regular honest updates about progress and timescale matter more than they do on a two-day job. Over-promising a return date is the mistake that destroys an otherwise competent project.
Before you quote
- Set up daily logging and photographic records from the first day.
- Agree a communication rhythm with the client and the insurer.
- Sequence trades explicitly rather than scheduling reactively.
- Give conservative return dates and update them honestly.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
What makes large loss work different?
Coordination rather than technique. Multiple trades, long timelines, substantial equipment, contents pack-out and an unoccupiable building all have to be sequenced. The project management and documentation are a real part of what is being bought, because projects this size fail on organisation rather than on workmanship.
Why does documentation matter so much on a big job?
Because the scope is large and expensive and has to be justified to an insurer over months. Daily logs, moisture records, equipment placement and dated photographs by area are the evidence, and they cannot be reconstructed afterwards. On a large loss the record is as important as the work.
How long will a large loss take?
Longer than clients expect, because mitigation, drying, demolition, multiple trades and reconstruction run sequentially rather than at once. An honest conservative estimate updated regularly is better than an optimistic date, since a missed return date on a displaced household is the thing that damages the relationship most.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 22 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $135.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 22 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $1,300 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $4,365 |
| Labour | $2,970 |
| Before tax | $4,365 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $4,365: $2,970 of labour, $1,300 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $68 | $2,891 |
| $101 | $3,617 |
| $135 example above | $4,365 |
| $203 | $5,861 |
| $270 | $7,335 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 22 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $1,300.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.