Restoration Cost (Historic) Calculator

Per-SF restoration cost by building era and condition.

Building area (sq ft)

Era (0-3)

Condition (1-5)

Treatment (0-2)

Tab to move between fields

Construction cost ($)

$1,462,500.00

≈ 3 average U.S. homes

Cost per sq ft ($)$292.50

Soft costs ($)$321,750.00

Total project ($)$1,784,250.00

Premium vs new (%)78.42

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Building area (sq ft) and select Building era (0=Pre-1850, 1=1850–1900, 2=1900–1940, 3=1940–1970) — older eras cost more.
Rate Condition (1=Critical, 2=Poor, 3=Fair, 4=Good, 5=Excellent) based on a recent professional assessment.
Select the Treatment level (0=Rehabilitation, 1=Restoration, 2=Preservation) — preservation is the most strict and expensive.
Review Construction cost ($/sq ft) and Total project cost as a preliminary budget estimate for financing applications.
Check Soft costs (design, engineering, SHPO review fees at ~22%) which are often underestimated in historic work.
Use Premium vs new (%) to communicate to clients why historic restoration costs more than equivalent new construction.

How the result changes with Building area (sq ft)

Building area (sq ft): Total building square footage.
Era (0-3): 0=Pre-1850, 1=1850-1900, 2=1900-1940, 3=1940-1970.
Condition (1-5): 1=Critical, 2=Poor, 3=Fair, 4=Good, 5=Excellent.
Treatment (0-2): 0=Rehabilitation, 1=Restoration, 2=Preservation (most strict).

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Building area (sq ft) = 5000, Era (0-3) = 1, Condition (1-5) = 3, Treatment (0-2) = 1 = 4 input(s) provided
Calculate Construction cost
Construction cost = round(buildingSqFt * costPerSf)
1462500 = $1,462,500
Calculate Cost per sq ft
Cost per sq ft = round(baseCostByEra * conditionMult * preservMult * 100) / 100
292.5 = $292.5
Calculate Soft costs
Soft costs = round(totalCost * 0.22)
321750 = $321,750