Comparisons
The decision before the calculator
A calculator answers how much. It cannot answer which — not when the two things being compared belong to different trades and are priced by different engines.
These pages do that, and with the same numbers: each side comes from the calculator that prices it, on the same job, so the comparison is arithmetic rather than opinion. Where a decision sits inside one trade — tank against tankless, laminate against vinyl plank — it lives inside that calculator instead, because splitting it out would leave two pages half-answering the same question.
Concrete vs asphalt driveway
Concrete or asphalt for a driveway?
Asphalt is $6.01 a square foot and concrete $13.94 — and thirty years later, after a resurface and seven seal coats, asphalt is still 26 per cent cheaper. What concrete buys is not money. Where you live decides the rest.
Priced by Concrete and Asphalt
Carpet vs hardwood
Carpet or hardwood, especially in bedrooms?
On the same 182 ft² room, carpet is $1,709 and hardwood $2,701 — 58 per cent more, not double. Over fifty years, with carpet replaced five times and hardwood sanded twice, hardwood comes out 45 per cent cheaper. Carpet wins on warmth and quiet, which is what bedrooms are for.
Priced by Carpet and Hardwood
Deck vs patio
Deck or patio, and where does a porch fit?
A patio at grade is cheaper and permanent. A deck is what you build when the ground is not level or the door is not at ground level — and that, not preference, is usually what decides it.
Priced by Deck and Pavers
Concrete patio vs pavers
A poured concrete patio or pavers?
Poured concrete is cheaper and cracks; pavers cost more and move without cracking because they are already in pieces. What separates a good one from a bad one is the base under it, identically for both.
Priced by Concrete and Pavers
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