Methodology
Every number here can be traced back to an assumption.
Advistra is a pricing model, not a quote. Here is exactly how it works so you can judge it for yourself.
1. Scope-driven unit costs
Each answer maps to one or more cost specs with a low, expected, and high unit price. Costs are applied per square foot, per fixture, or as a flat allowance depending on how that trade actually bills. Nothing is a percentage of an arbitrary base.
2. Local market adjustment from your ZIP code
Your ZIP code is mapped to its county and metropolitan statistical area using the public HUD–USPS / Census crosswalk. That market is then priced against the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics mean hourly wage for construction and extraction occupations (SOC 47-0000). The local labor factor is that wage divided by the national mean.
| ZIP inside a metro area | Metropolitan wage data for that CBSA |
| ZIP outside a metro area | Statewide construction wage data |
| No match | National mean wage, clearly labelled |
| Materials | National construction-materials Producer Price Index, escalated from the date the cost catalog was priced |
| Permits | Damped against the local wage index — fee schedules move less than labor |
BLS does not publish a construction cost for every ZIP code, and we do not pretend otherwise: the estimate always records which level of data was used. If the live data feed is unavailable, the last valid cached values are used and the estimate is marked with its data date.
3. Complexity multipliers
Moving plumbing, opening walls, working in older housing stock, and tight access all raise labor hours rather than material cost. These are applied as explicit multipliers on the labor category so you can see what the difficulty is costing you.
4. Category structure
Every estimate resolves into the same categories so bids can be compared against it directly:
DemolitionPlumbingElectricalFlooringTile & WallsFixturesVanity & CabinetryCountertopsLightingFinishesLaborPermits
5. Contingency
Contingency scales with genuine unknowns — home age, structural work, plumbing relocation — between 10% and 20% of the expected total. It sits outside the contract price and belongs to you, not the contractor.
6. What this is not
It is not a bid, not a guarantee, and not tied to any contractor network. Advistra does not sell your project to anyone. Use the range to judge the bids you receive, then let the written scope decide.