The shed
Pick a common job to start, then replace every rate with your kit ticket and a crew you have timed. Changing fulfillment, pad, access, or electrical fills starting hours and material only when you have not already edited that field.
Hours and material rates
These start from the fulfillment, pad, access, and electrical you picked. They are ballpark crew figures, not a kit catalog or a guarantee.
Your costs
Payroll burden covers employer taxes, workers’ compensation, liability insurance, and paid time off. Underestimating it is how a drop-and-set special that looked profitable was not.
Your bid
- Shed area
- Pad billed
- Pad volume
- Delivery
- Crew hours
- Loaded labor
- Shed / lumber
- Pad, delivery, extras
- Travel & other
- Overhead
- Total cost
- Profit
- Price per sq ft
- Effective hourly rate
- Walk-away price
A bid link carries your own rates — wage, burden, overhead, and target margin — so the page reopens exactly as you left it. Send it to yourself or your crew. The numbers ride after the #, which is never sent to a server, so copying a link uploads nothing. The customer should get the price, not the link.
Same shed, three pads
| Pad | Hours | Price |
|---|
Where the hours go
Transparent arithmetic from your own inputs. The starting hours and material rates are common ballpark figures, not an industry standard, a benchmark, or a guarantee — time your own crews and replace them.
Common questions
Why does “set only” on an existing pad cost so much less than a new gravel or concrete pad?
A new pad adds excavation, base material or forms and a pour, and cure or compaction time before the shed ever arrives — work an existing level pad skips entirely. Use “Same shed, three pads” to see the same shed priced across existing, gravel, and slab so a customer comparing your number to a $2,499 special understands what pad that special assumes.
Why is a crane set priced so much higher than forklift access?
Crane access is chosen for tight lots where a forklift or trailer can't reach the pad, and cranes are billed by the hour with their own mobilization — a real cost jump, not padding. Only select it if the site genuinely can't take a forklift; check it against the delivery-mile input too, since a longer haul compounds the access cost.
Does the electrical option mean this includes a licensed electrician's permit and inspection?
No. “Lights and outlets” and “Workshop circuit” price the labor and material this calculator assumes for that scope; they are not a permit, an inspection, or a determination that a licensed electrician is or isn't required in your jurisdiction. Confirm local electrical code requirements before wiring a shed.
Are the pad and delivery figures specific to my region?
No, they're common ballpark figures for backyard shed installs generally, not a regional materials price or a delivery tariff. Gravel, concrete, and fuel costs vary a lot by area — replace the defaults in calc.mjs with your own supplier and delivery rates.
Hand the customer a proposal
The price above is for you. This is the page you print or save as a PDF and give to the customer — your details, their details, the scope, the deposit split, and a line for them to sign. Your business details are saved on this device so you only type them once; the customer’s details are never saved.
Everything on the printed page is text you typed or a number this calculator worked out. It contains no warranty, lien, or cancellation wording — those depend on your jurisdiction and your contract, and this tool is not the place to invent them.