BackyardCalc is an independent project built by a small team of DIY and home-improvement enthusiasts. We were tired of guessing how many bags of concrete, cubic yards of mulch, or boxes of flooring a project needed — and of over-ordering (wasting money) or under-ordering (a second trip to the store). So we built the tools we wished existed.
Between us we’ve planned and bought materials for plenty of real projects — decks, patios, raised beds, repaints, new flooring — and we built each calculator the way we wished it had worked when we were standing in the store aisle doing math on a phone. That hands-on experience is what shapes the defaults, the waste allowances, and the questions each tool answers.
What we do
We make free, easy-to-use calculators and plain-English cost guides for the most common home and outdoor projects. Today the Site includes 30 material calculators and 9 cost guides across four areas:
- Concrete & masonry — slabs, paver bases, fence-post concrete, thinset, and more.
- Landscaping & soil — mulch, topsoil, gravel, sod, grass seed, raised-bed soil, fertilizer.
- Structures & outdoor — decks, fences, retaining walls, roofing, pavers, pool volume.
- Interior & finishes — paint, drywall, vinyl-plank and laminate flooring, wallpaper, insulation.
How our calculators are built
Accuracy is the whole point of a calculator, so we don’t hand-wave the math. Every calculator is built on a transparent, documented formula — the same standard quantities, coverage rates, and waste factors that contractors and suppliers use. Each formula is backed by an automated test suite, and our by-size reference tables are checked against the live calculator logic so the numbers you see in a chart always match the number the tool gives you.
We keep cost figures and material assumptions reviewed for current pricing, and we show our work: most pages include a worked example, a quick reference table, and answers to the questions people actually ask about that project.
Our editorial standards
Every calculator and cost guide is produced and reviewed by the BackyardCalc editorial team — the same hands-on people described above, and the byline you see on each page. Every figure is held to the same standard, so you can trust the number you act on:
- Sourced from established conventions. Our coverage rates, bag yields, standard board and sheet sizes, and waste factors come from the quantities contractors and suppliers actually use and the specs printed on the products themselves — not guesses.
- Verified in code. Each calculator’s math runs through an automated test suite, and every by-size reference table is checked against the live formula on each build, so a chart can never quietly drift from the tool that produced it.
- Reviewed and updated. We revisit cost figures and material assumptions as prices and common products change, and date our cost guides so you can see how current they are.
- Corrected openly. If a reader shows us a number is off, we investigate and fix it — getting it right matters more than being right. Tell us what you entered and what you expected, and we’ll dig in.
How we stay free
BackyardCalc is free to use and always will be. We keep the lights on through advertising and a small number of affiliate links (as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases). These never change the result a calculator gives you — the math comes first, always. You can read exactly how ads and data work on our Privacy Policy page.
A note on accuracy
Our tools are designed to get you a reliable estimate, but every project is different. Site conditions, measurement accuracy, and product specs all matter, so we always recommend confirming quantities with your supplier or a professional before you buy. See our Terms of Use for the full details.
Get in touch
Found a number that looks off, or want a calculator we don’t have yet? We’d genuinely like to hear it. Email us at hello@backyardcalc.com or use our contact page. Reader feedback is how the Site gets better.