Breakthrough Budgeting Info: The Houzz Real Cost Finder Is Here

Get remodeling and product prices by project and U.S. city, with our easy-to-use interactive tool

Houzz 9 July 2013

Click "Embed" to display an article on your own website or blog.

No matter what your home remodeling budget — small, average, sky’s the limit — it’s important to have a plan. Home projects can be full of unexpected costs, and the prices people pay for things like materials and labor differ from city to city. A recent Houzz survey showed that more than 40 percent of people who undertake a home remodel go over budget. And 28 percent say that sticking to a budget is a challenge. So wouldn’t it be helpful if you could see what remodeling a house or room costs in your city?

Houzz has created a new interactive tool that helps U.S. homeowners do just that. It’s called the Real Cost Finder. Want to know what the average kitchen remodel costs in your area? Just click on your city, and a sliding-scale graphic will give you information about the average price of various types of home remodeling projects, the average house cost, the percentage of people who hired a professional for their projects and more.

The Real Cost Finder is fully integrated with the rest of Houzz. Relevant product information, guides and ideabooks as well as listings of local professionals who can help you take a project forward will surface as well.

Here’s how to use the tool.

Type in your city or simply click on your city’s bubble. You can also toggle between city and state by clicking the button near the top right of the map.

Highlight different project types on the left to change the information you see. Check out what an entire home remodel project costs in your city — or in any other city or state in the U.S. You can also get cost information on specific project types like kitchen, bath, media room, roofing, siding and more.

Cost info is shown on the sliding-scale graphic, which includes the average cost in your area as well as what others in your city paid on the lower and higher ends.

This example shows that a media room remodel in New York City averages $12,229. On the lower end, people paid $2,000, and on the higher end, they paid around $29,000. (The top 5 percent paid $88,333.)

Directly below the scale is information about the percent of people who hired a professional, average house cost, household income and how different projects rank in terms of number completed across the country. For example, the number-one city in the country for media room remodels is Salt Lake City. In New York City media rooms rank 16th while kitchens rank fourth.

Below the sliding scale you will find popular inspirational photos for most project types in that city.

Click on the Products tab at the top to see a range of products at different price points — low, middle and high end are broken up into three columns — for everything from bar stools to kitchen cabinets. This will help you see how product choice, such as materials and finishes, can impact your overall budget. You can also toggle between traditional and contemporary styles. This example shows products for a contemporary bedroom.

In the Guides section you'll find remodeling ideabooks written by industry professionals and Houzz's editorial team to help you navigate the remodeling process. Under the Full Home Remodel project type, the Real Cost Finder shows ideabooks like 11 Things to Expect With Your Remodel and What to Look for in a Contractor's Contract.

You can also search for local professionals specializing in various remodeling project types. Select your project type on the left-hand side, type in your city and click the Professionals tab to browse remodelers, designers and other skilled laborers, just like in our online directory. This example shows bathroom remodeling professionals in Palo Alto, California.

Experience the Real Cost Finder now.