INSTANT™
Trusted. Easy. Accurate.
Our INSTANT™ cost-to-build software was completely re-engineered in 2025. This latest version of INSTANT™is designed to estimate a variety house plans and to budget early stage design concepts. It does this while providing you immediate cost feedback as you make design and material decisions. Its powerful estimating engine allows you to estimate 1, 1½, 2 and 3-story homes and a broad variety of home design styles including barndominiums, duplexes and homes with drive-under garages. With INSTANT you get fast, easy and accurate construction cost estimates that save you time and money.
INSTANT is sold in either a “Standard” or “Unlocked” license type.
“Standard” INSTANT accounts are our base product and cost $49.00 for a 60 day subscription use period. “Standard” accounts are limited to one zip code per account selected at time of purchase.
“Unlocked” INSTANT accounts allow project location zip codes to be changed on an unlimited basis. “Unlocked” accounts are sold at $149.00 for a 60 day subscription period and allow unlimited zip codes per account to be modified (after the zip code initially selected at time of purchase.)
Some Features and Benefits of INSTANT™ Include:
Instantly see how costs change as you explore “What-If?” impacts of design options and quality levels of materials.
Easy “Top Tab” navigation allows fast access to all report sections.
Provides +/-120 line cost report with user editable “Add/Deduct” field per line item to dial-in your costs.
INSTANT™
TRY OUR FREE INSTANT™ DEMO VIEW FEATURES
Here's what you get!
- YOUR LOCATION: Over 43,000 zip code database provides construction costs for your project location in the US or Canada.
- INTERACTIVE: Instantly see how costs change as you vary design options and quality levels of materials.
- FLEXIBLE: Quickly budget 1, 1½, 2 or 3 story home designs and house plans. Estimate bardominiums, pitched or flat roof designs, drive-under garages and multi-family. Enjoy an extensive range of material quality level options.
- REDUCE RISK: Minimize potential cost overruns by becoming empowered to make smart design decisions. Get estimates that save thousands in costly error.
- GAIN COST CONTROL: Comprehensive data-backed estimates with +/-120 lines of costs / options for your project.
- EDITABLE COSTS: Edit the line-item labor & material price with the “Add/Deduct” field if you want to change a cost.
Broad Range Of Detailed Design Options
Extensive range of options per building system ensures an estimate reflecting your scope of work and desired quality levels.
Design Specs
- Project Location (zip code)
- House Plan Image / URL
- Dwelling Type (single family or duplex)
- Floor Sq. Ft. (1st, 2nd, 3rd, bonus)
- Number of Bedrooms
- Number of Bathrooms
- Porch Type (covered or stoop)
- Garage Type (attached or drive-under)
- Slab, Crawlspace, Basement, Walkout Basement
- Roof Type (pitched or flat)
Sitework
- Site Preparation (clearing / grading)
- Site Development (driveway, landscaping, deck)
- Retaining Wall
- Access Road
- Electric and Gas (municipal)
- Water and Sewer (municipal or well / septic)
Foundations
- Excavation, Footings, Foundation Walls
- Slab on Grade
Basement
- Ceiling Height (8,9,10 feet)
- Excavation, Footings, Basement Walls
Exterior Shell / Enclosure
- Floor Structure (joist, truss)
- Roof Structure (wood, metal truss)
- Ceiling Height: Home (9,10,12 feet)
- Ceiling Height: Garage (9,10,12,14,16,18 feet)
- Wall Structure (2x4, 2x6, metal stud, concrete)
- Siding (vinyl, cement fiber, metal, stucco, brick)
- Windows (vinyl, vinyl clad, metal clad)
- Doors (steel, vinyl, fiberglass)
- Garage Doors (single, double, RV sized OHD)
- Roof Material (asphalt, wood, metal, tile, slate)
- Roof / Ceiling Insulation (R30, R38, R49)
Kitchen / Bath
- Cabinetry (MDF, plywood, hardwood)
- Countertops (laminate, polymer, granite, quartz, concrete)
- Flooring (LVT, hardwood, porcelain tile)
Interiors
- Partition framing (wood, metal)
- Stairs
- Doors (hollow or solid core, MDF, wood, 1-3/8”, 1-3/4” thick)
- Baseboard Trim
- Walls / Ceiling (drywall, paint)
- Flooring (carpet, LVT, hardwood, porcelain tile)
Plumbing
- Fire Suppression
- Water Distribution
- Water Treatment (softener, filtration systems)
- Bath Plumbing Fixtures (toilet, molded tub, flatbottom tub)
- Shower (molded, feature tiled)
- Kitchen Plumbing
- Laundry Plumbing
HVAC
- Furnace / AC / Ductwork (economy, high efficiency)
- Premium AFUE /SEER2 Equipment option
- Fireplace (direct vent gas, wood burning)
- Garage Heat
Electrical
- Service (150A, 200A, 320A/400A)
- Distribution
- Lighting
- Security / Smoke Detection
Equipment
- Appliances (economy to commercial)
- Closet Systems
- Elevator
Fee
- Owner / Builder (general conditions only)
- Contractor (variable fee / markup)
Instant™ Product Features
Extensive Home Styles
Instant™ has the ability to estimate a range of home styles beyond any other online software in the market. Our software estimates 1, 1.5, 2 and 3-story single family or duplex investment homes built on a slab, crawlspace, standard basement or walkout basement. It estimates homes with attached garages or “drive-under” garages occurring at grade or walkout basement situations. Homes with sloped or flat roofs, covered porches, traditional, Spanish/Mediterranean or contemporary style homes. Even garage-apartment homes and barndominium style homes with extensive garage areas and heights up to 18 feet can be estimated.
Immediate Cost Calculation
Instant™ offers immediate 24/7 online access to your cost-to-build estimate and provides over 120 lines of detailed cost reporting. No need to wait days for an answer to how much your home design will cost to construct. Our software is based on our proprietary cost database for over 43,000 zip codes including all 50 United States and proxy zip codes for locations in Canada.
It provides immediate “What-If?” cost feedback as you explore the financial implications of various home design and material choices.
Quick Top-Tab Navigation
Instant™ is designed for fast and easy navigation in desktop or mobile applications. Simply enter basic design data such as square feet and other key data into the dialog boxes, or by selecting the appropriate radio buttons. Then simply make design and material choices for major building systems. These systems include Site work, Foundations, Basement, Exterior Shell, Kitchen / Bath, Interiors, Plumbing, HVAC, Electrical, Equipment / Appliances and General Contracting Fee.
The building systems are tabbed at the top of the application allowing quick hyperlinked top-tab navigation to a section without the need for scrolling.
Editable Cost Values
Instant™ provides you the power to edit the calculated costs in the software using the “Add/Deduct” field. This feature allows you to delete labor costs to reflect “sweat-equity” for any given line item or to modify the cost of an item up or down to reflect your bid price. Home-Cost.com puts you in control of estimate results for any line item. Just navigate to any line item and in the “Add/Deduct” field add a positive number to increase cost, or a negative number to decrease cost for that particular item.
Broad Material Options
Instant™ provides the broadest range of design and material options in the market. Each of the building systems in our software has a deep bench of options from which to choose. For example, Sitework includes clearing and grading, roads and driveways, landscaping, site utilities, etc. Exterior wall options include wood studs, metal framing or concrete block. Siding options include vinyl, cement fiber, metal siding, brick, stucco, and stone veneer. Kitchen and bath countertops include laminate, solid polymer, quartz resin, granite, and soapstone. Even the equipment section includes elevators and appliances ranging from economy to commercial quality levels.
Export To Excel® or PDF
Instant™ allows you to print your 120+ line cost report to a printer, as a PDF file or export the report as an Excel® file. In Excel® you can edit and manipulate the results, create summary formulas, insert your own letterhead logo or otherwise format the file as you would any Excel® file. The report will document your design decisions for the home and the material selections and costs for each item.