Why I built Ledger and Lumber

I work in home renovation with a critical repair program. Roofs, furnaces, water heaters, bathrooms that need to be safe again: that is the work I see every week.

Because of that job, people constantly ask me what things should cost. A friend gets a roofing quote and wants to know if it's fair. A neighbor is planning a bathroom and has no idea whether to budget $10,000 or $40,000. Most of the numbers they find online are a single average with no explanation of where it came from.

So I built this site to show where remodel dollars actually go. Every cost guide breaks a project into line items the way a budget gets built in the real world: scope first, then materials and labor, then the things that push the price up or down. The ranges are blended from published, cited sources and clearly labeled as sourced or as our estimate. Here's exactly how we price.

What I won't do

• I don't sell leads, and I never pass your details to contractors.
• I don't make up numbers. If a figure is my estimate, it says so.
• I don't claim to know your exact price. Your project will differ, so get itemized local bids.

The templates

The spreadsheets are the tools I wish every homeowner had before the first bid: a line-item budget, a way to compare bids apples to apples, and a tracker so you only pay for work that's done. They work in Excel and Google Sheets. The workbooks are $9, the bid and payment sheets are $5, and the Complete Remodel Planning Kit has all 6 for $19.

See the templates Browse cost guides

Questions or a number that looks off? Email hello@ledgerandlumber.com.