Plumbing & HVAC Cost Estimator (Free)
Estimate total project cost from material and labor with configurable markup, contingency, permits, disposal, and tax, optionally pulling indicative material prices from the reference catalog.
- Enter project details and material cost Name the job and pick a Project type (Repair, New installation, Replacement, or Maintenance), then enter the "Material cost" in dollars, or use "Refresh prices" to pull an indicative reference catalog price.
- Enter labor Fill in "Labor hours" and "Hourly rate"; the calculator multiplies them to get labor cost and adds it to materials.
- Set markup and optional fields Enter a "Markup" percent (defaults to 20). Expand Advanced fields to add "Contingency" percent (defaults to 10), "Permit / inspection", "Disposal / haul-away", and "Tax rate".
- Calculate and optionally save Press Calculate to see the total and a line-item breakdown. Signed-in users can Save estimate to store the quote with its status (Draft, Sent, Accepted, or Declined).
How do I calculate the total cost of a plumbing or HVAC job with markup?
The estimator follows standard contractor practice: it sums material, labor (hours x rate), permits, and disposal into a subtotal, applies markup as a percentage, then adds contingency on top, and finally applies tax. The expression is total = ((material + labor + permits + disposal) x (1 + markup%)) x (1 + contingency%) x (1 + tax%).
What is the difference between markup and contingency here?
Markup is your applied margin over direct costs and defaults to 20 percent, while contingency defaults to 10 percent and covers unexpected site conditions, code upgrades, and rework. They compound in sequence: markup is applied to the subtotal first, then contingency is applied to the marked-up amount before tax.
Are the indicative material prices accurate enough to quote from?
No. Prices pulled via the Refresh prices button come from the reference catalog and are indicative only. Verify current cost at the distributor before quoting, and confirm permit and inspection fees locally since they vary by municipality.