ROM Builder

Most important to get right

1. Level SF. Floor SF of each level, Level 1 = lowest. Put an affected garage on its level. Leave crawlspace out.
2. % of structure that is wet. The biggest single swing in mitigation. The 25% default is a placeholder, not an estimate. Walk it and enter your number.
3. % of structure that is smoke damaged. One cleaning rate covers every affected SF. If parts of the house only need a light wipe-down, lower this %. Past light-interior jobs fit at about 50%.
4. % of structure that will be gutted. Share of the total SF removed to framing.
5. Contents counts. Boxes and tagged items drive most of the contents number.
6. Approx SF of structure with contents. Enter only the SF where contents are affected. Whole-house SF on a partial loss prices high.
7. % needing repair and % getting new drywall (reconstruction). Both are % of the whole structure and both are required when Mitigation is not checked. New drywall % is the part opened to the studs. Include drywall already removed in mitigation, burned or wet. This is the biggest swing in the rebuild number.
8. Roof, framing, siding, kitchen, baths, HVAC. Each is a separate add-on. Check only what you can see needs replacing.

Known limitations

• Different scope in garage vs. house. The calculator uses one cleaning rate for all affected SF. A heavy garage with a light interior (or the reverse) can miss by 40%+. Adjust smoke-damaged % and note it in findings.
• Partial demo. Gutted % is spread evenly. Demo of a single room, ceilings only, or garage-only demo is not modeled separately.
• Attic is all-or-nothing. "Yes" prices the attic over the largest level. A garage-only or partial attic will price high.
• Heavy-cleaning jobs (popcorn ceilings, every surface, long odor treatment) can run 20–30% higher than shown.
• Large or unusual losses — over about 5,000 SF, commercial, storage units — are outside the data.
• Crawlspace and water rates rest on very few jobs. Fencing is an allowance.
• Abatement is not priced. Testing only; the report says abatement will add cost.
• Reconstruction is calibrated on residential fire. For water losses, enter only the SF of the affected rooms. Commercial, multi-unit, and partial (owner-labor) jobs are outside the data.
• Rebuild trades are averaged. Electrical, plumbing, flooring, and paint ride on the per-SF rate. Full rewire and re-pipe are first-pass allowances from one job each. Kitchen ($20,000) and bath ($12,000 each) are flat allowances. High-end finishes or code upgrades can push the number up 20–30%.