How ReCost™ Works

To understand what it costs to build a home, you have to ask a builder. With ReCost, you're asking 50,000. We generate results the same way a builder estimates a project — explicit scopes, regionalized cost data, powered by the #1 tool used in residential construction since 2004. From property description to defensible cost data in three steps. No black boxes, no generic “region modifiers,” full transparency.

Heatmap of 50,000+ contractors across the United States powering ReCost's regionalized cost data

50,000+ contractors nationwide

01

Describe the Property

Enter an address and basic property details — size, structure type, quality level, and key features. Our system pulls available public data and pre-fills what it can, so you only confirm or adjust.

02

Generate Replacement Cost

We calculate a full Replacement Cost New (RCN) using localized labor rates, material costs, and detailed construction specifications. Every line item is based on explicit scopes — not percentages or multipliers.

03

Choose Your Path

Need it for insurance coverage? You get a clean RCN. For an appraisal? Add age-life depreciation and Cost to Cure analysis. The same data foundation supports multiple professional workflows.

04

Use the Results

Download a detailed cost breakdown with component-level detail. Share with your underwriter, reviewer, or client. Every number is traceable back to real construction data.

Not a Market Estimate. Not a Bid.

ReCost calculates what it would cost to rebuild a home using real construction data — not what the home is worth on the market, and not a contractor quote.

RCN

Full cost to rebuild with like-kind materials and current labor rates. For insurance coverage decisions.

Cost Approach

RCN minus depreciation. Supports appraisal reports with transparent age-life calculations.

Cost to Cure

Itemized costs for curable deficiencies. Safety issues, deferred maintenance, functional problems.

Our Data Foundation

Our cost data comes from the same source trusted by contractors and adjusters: Clear Estimates. Every cost figure is grounded in actual construction pricing behavior — what contractors actually charge for specific scopes of work in specific markets.

  • Real construction scopes — not abstract cost categories
  • Contractor-based pricing reflecting actual market behavior
  • Localized to zip code using regional labor and material rate data
  • Updated regularly to reflect current market conditions
  • Over 20 years of construction cost data from 50,000+ contractors
Clear Estimates team

Since 2004

How We Calculate RCN

Replacement Cost New is the full cost to rebuild a structure using like-kind materials and current labor rates. ReCost calculates RCN by assembling explicit construction scopes for every building component — not by applying a single cost-per-square-foot figure.

Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs
Scope detail showing construction line items with quantities, material costs, and labor costs

No depreciation is applied to RCN. It represents the cost to build new — the starting point for both insurance coverage and appraisal Cost Approach work.

Depreciation (Appraisal Mode Only)

When used for appraisal support, ReCost applies age-life depreciation to the RCN. This is not applied to insurance outputs — insurance RCN reflects full replacement cost without depreciation.

  • Age-life method using effective age, not chronological age
  • Economic life based on construction class and quality level
  • Component-level depreciation for mixed-condition properties
  • Physical depreciation separated from functional and external factors
  • Appraiser controls effective age inputs — ReCost does not override professional judgment

Cost to Cure Methodology

Cost to Cure addresses specific, curable deficiencies — items that a reasonable buyer would fix and that can be estimated with construction-grade accuracy.

  • Only for curable deficiencies — not upgrades or improvements
  • Itemized costs for each deficiency
  • Safety, code compliance, and deferred maintenance items
  • Not a substitute for general depreciation — a separate, additive analysis
  • Supports specific adjustments in appraisal reconciliation

Our methodology is designed to produce results you can explain and defend. Every output includes the scopes, rates, and assumptions behind the numbers.

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