Free tool

The Hidden Building Costs Calculator

Answer around 20–30 questions about your specific project. Get a personalised master budget, a list of commonly forgotten costs, a suggested contingency, and a project-specific financial checklist — free, in about 3 minutes.

No account required to use it online. Nothing is saved on our servers.
How it works

Three minutes, three outputs.

1

Answer questions about your specific project

Renovation or new build, rough budget range, and the scope of what you're doing — the calculator adapts as you go.

2

Get an instant personalised budget breakdown

A category-by-category view of where your money is likely to go, with commonly forgotten costs flagged as you build it out.

3

See a suggested contingency and a checklist

A suggested contingency percentage for your project type, plus a checklist specific to what you told us — ready to take into your next builder conversation.

What you'll see

A real, personalised result — not a generic estimate.

Example results screen from the True Project Cost Calculator, showing a personalised budget breakdown
Worth knowing

An estimate to help you plan — not a quote.

This is a free planning tool, not a substitute for a formal quote from a builder. The output is an estimate built from the information you provide, designed to help you plan realistically and ask better questions — not a guaranteed cost for your project.

Want the full system?

The Calculator gives you a starting budget. The full system runs your whole project — the next logical step.

Renovation System and New Home Build System include the complete weekly-use project management system — every stage from design through handover — including the full Financial Management System: a Financial Dashboard, Master Budget Register, and Cash Flow Planner, not just a one-off estimate.

Get your personalised budget in about 3 minutes.

Free, either way — by email or straight online.