Measure & Build provides estimating tools and general construction information. It does not provide engineering, design, legal or financial services. This page explains what that means for you.
The calculators here produce quantity and cost estimates, not structural designs. Slab thickness, footing depth, reinforcement size and spacing, frost protection and permit requirements are determined by your local building code and, for anything structural, by a licensed engineer. Where guidance on this site conflicts with your local code or an engineer’s design, they govern and this site does not.
No professional relationship
Measure & Build is written and maintained by Saqib Javaid, who holds a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Construction Management. Those qualifications inform how this site is built and why its methods are traceable to published standards.
They do not create a professional relationship with you. Using this website does not establish an engineer-client relationship, and nothing published here constitutes engineered design, a stamped drawing, professional certification, or advice on your specific project. No site conditions have been assessed, no loads calculated, and no drawings reviewed.
What the calculators do and don’t do
They do
Estimate quantities
Apply standard geometric formulas and published material properties to work out how much of something you need, with the practical allowances trades use.
They do
Estimate budgets
Build line-item cost figures from published market data so you can plan and sanity-check a contractor’s bid.
They don’t
Design anything
They cannot assess soil, loads, drainage, seismic or wind conditions, or local code. Those determine whether a structure is safe.
Accuracy
Considerable effort goes into accuracy. Formulas reference published standards, tables are computed rather than copied, material weights are cross-referenced across suppliers, and every calculator documents the constants it uses. Where sources disagree, ranges are published rather than a single figure presented as fact.
Even so, this site is provided “as is” and without warranty of any kind, express or implied. No guarantee is given that content is complete, current, error-free, or suitable for your particular purpose.
Real-world variation is genuine and unavoidable:
- Material properties vary. Aggregate density changes with source rock, gradation and moisture. Bag yields differ between manufacturers. A weigh ticket will rarely match an estimate exactly.
- Site conditions vary. Uneven subgrade, over-excavation and spillage all consume more material than geometry predicts.
- Prices move. Construction costs shift with commodity markets, labour availability, season and region. Cost pages state when they were last reviewed.
- Codes differ. Frost depth, minimum thickness and reinforcement requirements vary enormously between jurisdictions, sometimes between neighbouring counties.
Always verify before you commit
- Check quantities against your supplier’s own figures before ordering. They know their material.
- Confirm dimensional requirements with your local building department. Frost depth in particular is local and not negotiable.
- Engage a licensed engineer for anything structural — slabs carrying a building, retaining walls, foundations, work on expansive or unstable soil.
- Obtain multiple written bids before accepting cost estimates as a budget.
- Check permit requirements before starting. Retroactive approval costs far more than a permit.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Saqib Javaid and Measure & Build accept no liability for any loss or damage — including material over-ordering or shortfall, project delay, cost overrun, structural failure, injury, or consequential loss — arising from use of, or reliance on, this website.
You use the information here at your own risk, and you remain responsible for verifying it against your own circumstances, your suppliers and your local authority.
Safety
Concrete is caustic and causes chemical burns. Loaded mixer trucks weigh 30 tons or more and crack driveways. Formwork under hydraulic pressure fails suddenly. Excavations collapse. Buried services are lethal to strike — in the United States, call 811 before any digging.
Nothing on this site is a substitute for proper training, appropriate protective equipment, and following manufacturer and regulatory safety guidance.
External links
This site links to standards bodies, suppliers and other resources. Those sites are not under my control, and linking to them is not an endorsement of their content, products or accuracy. Their own terms and privacy policies apply when you visit them.
Advertising and affiliates
This site displays third-party advertising, which funds its operation and keeps the calculators free. Advertisers have no influence over the content, calculations or recommendations published here. Ads are selected by ad networks, not by me, and their appearance is not an endorsement.
Where any affiliate or sponsored relationship exists, it is disclosed on the page it appears on.
Changes
This disclaimer may be updated. The review date at the foot of this page reflects the most recent revision, and continued use of the site indicates acceptance.