Every change to a price, source or assumption gets a dated entry here, newest first.
: Bulk prices for gravel, sand and drainage stone
Concrete slab for a shed, Paver patio, Retaining wall
- Base gravel, bedding sand and drainage stone are now priced per cubic yard at a landscape yard in your region, from the prices each yard posts online: Eastman Soil & Amendments (San Marcos, CA), Cedar Grove (Seattle area), ARS Landscape Materials & Supply (Arvada, CO), Outdoor Warehouse Supply (Lewisville and Plano, TX), The Mulch Center (Deerfield, IL) and Cummin Landscape Supply (Metro Atlanta). These prices are for the material only; delivery is extra.
- Before, these were priced from half-cubic-foot bags, which made the patio and slab totals several times higher than most people pay. The bag count and Home Depot bag price are still shown as an alternative, left out of the total.
- No yard is checked yet in the Southwest or Northeast, and some yards don't list every material; those prices are the middle price of the yards that do, marked as placeholders.
- Drainage stone behind retaining walls no longer uses a rough example price.
: Prices by region: pick your state
All calculators
- Prices now come from a Home Depot store in your region instead of one store in Yuma, AZ. Pick your state above the cost estimate; until you do, pages show Chicago prices.
- Stores checked today: San Diego (Sports Arena #0674), Seattle (Lander #4702), Phoenix (Thomas Rd #0477), Denver (Stapleton #1532), Dallas (Lemmon Avenue #0589), Chicago (South Loop #1950) and Atlanta (Midtown #0159). Each price links to the product priced.
- The Northeast store (Boston, South Bay #2679) is not checked yet, so Northeast states show the middle price of the other seven regions, marked as placeholders.
- When your region's store doesn't list an item, the price shown is the middle price of the regions that do, marked as a placeholder.
- Still example prices because no store we checked sells them: Quikrete 40 and 50 lb concrete mix, ready-mix concrete, 5 x 10 ft wire mesh sheets, Alliance Gator polymeric sand, Allan Block block and caps, and crushed drainage stone.
: Prices checked at Home Depot in Yuma, AZ
All calculators
- 40 of 55 default prices now come from Home Depot store #0402 (ZIP 85364), each linked to its product page. Lumber is priced per foot from the board lengths that store lists.
- Not sold there, so still marked as placeholders: 5/4 treated deck boards, treated 2x10s, Quikrete 40, 50 and 90 lb concrete mix, GAF Seal-A-Ridge, Alliance Gator polymeric sand, Allan Block block and caps, crushed drainage stone, 5 x 10 ft wire mesh sheets, and ready-mix concrete.
- Substitutes: Sakrete for 80 lb concrete mix, GRK for the 350-count deck screw box, ProFlex for paver edging (priced per 8 ft). Gravel and sand are priced from 0.5 cu ft bags.
- The fence calculator now defaults to 60 lb concrete bags, which that store stocks; fence nails come 1,200 per box (Grip-Rite).
: Sourced 21 more defaults
All calculators
- Deck: composite board size and gap now follow Trex (0.94 x 5.5 in boards, 3/16 in gap); deck screws come 350 to a box (Simpson Strong-Tie Deck-Drive DSV).
- Roof: underlayment rolls are now counted from GAF Tiger Paw's roll size and laps (3 in side, 6 in end, 22.5 in exposure for double coverage on low slopes) instead of a flat 1,000 sq ft; drip edge 10 ft pieces and 7,200-count nail boxes are from store listings.
- Slab: rebar laps 30 in (2024 IRC Table R608.5.4(1), Grade 60), 3 in from the edges (R403.1.3.5.3), 20 ft sticks; wire mesh is 5 x 10 ft sheets lapped one grid square plus 2 in (ACI 439.5R).
- Pavers: base runs at least 6 in past the edge (SEK), or the base depth if larger (CMHA); polymeric sand coverage from Alliance Gator (65 sq ft per bag for narrow joints, 22 for wide); Snap Edge 8 ft pieces with a spike every 2 ft; default paver thickness 2-3/8 in (CMHA).
- Fence: posts 8 ft on center, 2 rails for a 4 ft fence and 3 for a 6 ft fence, and a 10% waste factor (UFP Outdoor Essentials). Post and rail lengths now use the Southern Pine Council's standard 8 to 20 ft lengths.
- Retaining wall: 5% extra block (Allan Block); drain pipe in 100 ft rolls (ADS).
- Still placeholders: prices, rebar grid spacing, form stake spacing, gravel compaction and weight, bagged sand volume, fastener counts, picket heights, and the deck, roof, slab and paver waste factors.
: First version of the six calculators
All calculators
- Checked every code and manufacturer number against its source: 2024 IRC (R105.2, R506, R507, R905.2), AWC DCA 6, NIST PS 20-10, Quikrete Concrete Mix No. 1101, GAF Timberline HDZ, Pro-Start and Seal-A-Ridge, CMHA PAV-TEC-002-22, Allan Block, and 811.
- Prices, waste factors and a few product sizes are placeholders, marked as such on every page, until we check them at local stores.