Handyman
Home Maintenance Cost Calculator
Prices routine maintenance, which is cheap compared with the repairs it prevents.
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 parts and the call-out. Maintenance is predictable work on a schedule rather than reactive repair, which makes it efficient to batch: gutters, caulking, door and window adjustment, filter changes, smoke alarm batteries, exterior touch-up and checking for the early signs of water getting in. A half day covers a lot of it, and because the visit is planned the parts can be loaded in advance rather than fetched.
What moves the number
- How many tasks are covered in one planned visit.
- Season, since some items are weather dependent and best done at particular times.
- Size and height of the property, which affects gutters and exterior work.
- Whether the customer wants a recurring arrangement, which is cheaper per visit.
Where this one goes wrong
The highest value items on a maintenance list are the ones that stop water getting into the building, because water damage is the most expensive consequence of neglect. Blocked gutters, failed caulking at windows and doors, missing or lifted flashing and poor grading all let water in where repairing it later means framing, drywall and finishes rather than a tube of sealant. Prioritise those over cosmetic tasks when the budget is limited. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are the other item worth doing properly rather than ticking: dead batteries and expired units are extremely common and the consequence is not a maintenance issue.
Before you quote
- Prioritise anything that keeps water out of the building.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and check their expiry dates.
- Load parts in advance, since the visit is planned rather than reactive.
Questions
About this calculator
What maintenance actually matters?
Anything that stops water entering the building: gutters, caulking at windows and doors, flashing and grading. Water damage is by far the most expensive consequence of neglect, and repairing it means framing and finishes rather than sealant. Those items come before cosmetic work when the budget is limited.
Is a maintenance plan worth it?
It is usually cheaper per visit than calling someone reactively, because the work is planned, batched and the parts are loaded in advance. The larger saving is in catching the small failures before they become the repairs that need a contractor rather than a handyman.
How often should alarms be checked?
Tested regularly and replaced at the manufacturer's stated life, which is commonly around a decade and is printed on the unit. Expired alarms and dead batteries are extremely common findings on maintenance visits, and unlike most items on the list the consequence of neglect is not financial.
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 3 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $85.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). 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 | 3 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $85 |
| Parts and materials | $60 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $255 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $255 of labour, $60 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 |
|---|---|
| $43 | $284 |
| $64 | $347 |
| $85 example above | $410 |
| $128 | $539 |
| $170 | $665 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 3 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $85.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- 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.