Installation Guides

How to Install a French Drain

Plan the route and outlet, excavate with slope, wrap with filter fabric, lay perforated pipe, build the rock envelope, and backfill. For yard and foundation drains.

Pairs with the French Drain Calculator · also uses Drainage Rock Calculator

How to Install a Dry Well

Locate the well at least 10 ft from the foundation, excavate 4–6 ft deep by 4 ft wide, line with non-woven filter fabric, drop a precast chamber or perforated drum, surround with 1–1.5″ drainage rock, cap with fabric, backfill with topsoil, and verify outflow with a hose test.

Pairs with the Drainage Rock Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator

How to Pour a Concrete Slab

Plan dimensions and reinforcement, set forms, compact a gravel sub-base, place rebar or mesh, pour and screed, float and groove control joints, and cure. For 4- to 6-inch residential slabs.

Pairs with the Concrete Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator, Rebar Calculator

How to Install a Paver Patio

Plan the pattern, excavate, compact a crushed-stone base, screed sand bedding, lay pavers, install edge restraint, and sweep polymeric joint sand. The sequence pro hardscape crews use.

Pairs with the Paver Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator, Sand Calculator

How to Build a Deck

Plan and permit, dig footings below the frost line, set posts in concrete, flash and bolt a ledger, frame beams and joists, install decking, and build code railing. The structure-first sequence.

Pairs with the Deck Board Calculator · also uses Concrete Calculator, Fence Post Calculator

How to Lay Out Rebar in a Concrete Slab

Plan the grid and bar size, cut and bend, support the mat on chairs for correct cover, tie the grid, lap the splices, and keep cover at the edges before the pour.

Pairs with the Rebar Calculator · also uses Concrete Calculator

How to Lay Flagstone on a Sand Bed

Excavate, compact a gravel base, screed a 1-inch sand bed, dry-fit and seat irregular flagstone, then fill the joints. For a sand-set walkway or patio.

Pairs with the Sand Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator, Paver Calculator

How to Build a Retaining Wall

Plan height and setback, excavate and compact a base, level the first course, stack with setback, install a drainage envelope, backfill, and cap. For segmental (SRW) walls up to 4 ft.

Pairs with the Retaining Wall Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator, Drainage Rock Calculator

How to Lay a Brick Wall

Pour a footing below the frost line, mix mortar, set leads and a line, lay courses in running bond with 3/8-inch joints, tool the joints, and cap the wall.

Pairs with the Brick Calculator · also uses Concrete Calculator, Sand Calculator

How to Install Fence Posts

Call 811, mark the line, dig below the frost line, set corner and gate posts first with diagonal bracing, set line posts to a string, pour concrete with the post elevated on gravel, and trim tops. For wood and round posts in concrete.

Pairs with the Fence Post Calculator · also uses Concrete Calculator

How to Build a Gravel Driveway

Grade the subgrade, lay geotextile fabric, build up the three-layer stone system, crown the surface for drainage, and compact each lift. The layered build that keeps a gravel driveway from rutting.

Pairs with the Gravel Calculator · also uses Drainage Rock Calculator, Fill Dirt Calculator

How to Grade and Compact Fill Dirt

Strip topsoil, bring in clean structural fill, place it in 6–8 inch compacted lifts, grade to slope away from structures, and cap with topsoil.

Pairs with the Fill Dirt Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator, Topsoil Calculator

How to Pave an Asphalt Driveway

Prep and compact the subgrade, lay the aggregate base, pave the binder and surface courses, crown for drainage, and compact while hot.

Pairs with the Asphalt Calculator · also uses Gravel Calculator

How to Mulch a Garden Bed

Measure and order, clear weeds, edge the bed, amend the soil, lay optional fabric, spread mulch 2–3 inches deep, and keep it off stems and trunks. The right way to mulch without hurting plants.

Pairs with the Mulch Calculator · also uses Topsoil Calculator

How to Level a Lawn with Topsoil

Mow low, mix a sand/topsoil/compost topdressing, fill minor dips 1/4–1/2 inch at a time, strip and fill deeper low spots, level, and overseed.

Pairs with the Topsoil Calculator · also uses Fill Dirt Calculator, Mulch Calculator

How to Hang Drywall

Order sheets, hang the ceiling first, run walls horizontally, cut clean openings, screw to pattern, then tape, mud, sand, and prime. The order the pros work in so the joints vanish.

Pairs with the Drywall Calculator · also uses Paint Calculator

How to Paint a Room

Prep and protect the room, patch and clean the walls, tape the edges, prime bare or patched drywall, then cut in and roll two even coats.

Pairs with the Paint Calculator · also uses Drywall Calculator

How to Install Asphalt Roof Shingles

Tear off and inspect the deck, install drip edge and underlayment, set a starter course, nail the field shingles to the exposure, flash the penetrations, and cap the ridge.

Pairs with the Roofing Calculator · also uses Paint Calculator

How to Install Insulation

Pick the R-value for your climate zone, air seal before you insulate, cut and fit batts friction-tight without compressing them, split around wiring, orient the facing correctly, and finish an attic with eave baffles and blown fill to depth.

Pairs with the Insulation Calculator · also uses Drywall Calculator, Siding Calculator

How to Install Gutters

Plan downspout locations, repair the fascia first, mark a 1/4-inch-per-10-feet slope and snap a chalk line, mount hangers 24 inches on center, cut and seal outlets, lap seams so water sheds over them, and carry discharge away from the foundation.

Pairs with the Gutter Calculator · also uses Roofing Calculator

How to Install Lap Siding

Tear off and inspect the sheathing, hang the weather barrier shingle-style, flash every opening in the correct bottom-up order, set a dead-level starter strip, run consistent exposure, and fasten so vinyl can still move.

Pairs with the Siding Calculator · also uses Insulation Calculator, Gutter Calculator

What Drives Concrete Costs in 2026

The seven things that move a ready-mix quote — yardage, PSI, short-load fees, reinforcement, waste, finishing labor, and site access — and how to keep each one in check.

Pairs with the Concrete Calculator · also uses Concrete Prices by State

Ready-Mix vs. Bagged vs. Short-Load Concrete

When a ready-mix truck, bags from the store, or a short-load trailer mixer is the cheapest way to pour — with the break-even math and a side-by-side table.

Pairs with the Concrete Calculator · also uses Concrete Prices by State

How Much Concrete to Order

Measure the area, pick a slab thickness, convert to cubic yards, and add a waste factor so you order the right amount the first time.

Pairs with the Concrete Calculator · also uses Concrete Prices by State

What Drives Gravel Costs in 2026

Why delivered gravel costs what it does — stone type, tonnage, and the haul distance that usually dominates the bill — plus how to shrink each line.

Pairs with the Gravel Calculator · also uses Gravel Prices by State

How Much Gravel to Order (Tons)

Turn length, width, and depth into cubic yards, convert to tons at real crushed-stone density, and add a compaction allowance so the load covers the job.

Pairs with the Gravel Calculator · also uses Gravel Prices by State

What Drives Asphalt Costs in 2026

The oil-linked binder, thickness and tonnage, base prep, and plant and haul distance behind a hot-mix quote — and which levers actually move the number.

Pairs with the Asphalt Calculator · also uses Asphalt Prices by State

How Much Asphalt to Order (Tons)

Measure the area, set a compacted thickness, convert to tons at hot-mix density, and add waste so the delivered tonnage matches the driveway.

Pairs with the Asphalt Calculator · also uses Asphalt Prices by State

What Drives Drywall Costs in 2026

Board, fasteners, and compound are the cheap part — hanging and finishing labor, ceiling height, and finish level are what move a drywall estimate.

Pairs with the Drywall Calculator · also uses Drywall Prices by State

Drywall Thickness & Types: 1/2 vs 5/8 vs Specialty

When to use 1/2-inch, 5/8-inch Type X, moisture- and mold-resistant board, and cement backer — with a side-by-side table of thicknesses and uses.

Pairs with the Drywall Calculator · also uses Drywall Prices by State

How Much Drywall to Order (Sheets)

Add up wall and ceiling area, divide by sheet coverage, subtract big openings, and add a waste factor to land the right sheet count.

Pairs with the Drywall Calculator · also uses Drywall Prices by State

What Drives Paver Costs in 2026

The paver itself is only part of it — base gravel, bedding sand, edge restraint, pattern cuts, and labor are the rest of a patio's cost.

Pairs with the Paver Calculator · also uses Paver Prices by State

Paver Types Compared: Concrete vs. Clay vs. Porcelain

Cost, durability, color-fastness, and best uses for concrete, clay-brick, and porcelain pavers — with a side-by-side comparison table.

Pairs with the Paver Calculator · also uses Paver Prices by State

How Many Pavers to Order

Convert patio area to a paver count, add the right waste factor for your pattern, and size the base gravel and bedding sand at the same time.

Pairs with the Paver Calculator · also uses Paver Prices by State

Insulation R-Value by Climate Zone

Recommended attic and wood-frame wall R-values for IECC zones 1–7, what fits in a 2x4 versus a 2x6 cavity, and why compression, gaps, and thermal bridging mean installed performance trails the number on the bag.

Pairs with the Insulation Calculator

How Much Insulation to Order

Gross area, the framing deduction at 16 or 24 inches on center, the coverage printed on the bag, and a waste factor — with worked wall and attic examples that match the calculator exactly.

Pairs with the Insulation Calculator

What Drives Insulation Costs

Material type, target R-value, access difficulty, whether air sealing is in the quote, removal of old material, cavity versus continuous — and which parts of the job are genuinely worth doing yourself.

Pairs with the Insulation Calculator

Gutter Sizing & Materials

When 5-inch is enough and when you need 6-inch, how K-style and half-round differ in capacity and debris handling, and where vinyl, aluminum, steel, and copper each make sense.

Pairs with the Gutter Calculator

How Much Gutter to Order

Eave length, separate runs, and story count produce the whole parts list — 10-foot sections, one downspout per 30–40 feet, three elbows each, hangers every 24 inches, and two end caps per run.

Pairs with the Gutter Calculator

What Drives Gutter Costs

Seamless versus sectional, material from vinyl to copper, house height, downspout count, old-gutter removal, guards, and the fascia repair that surfaces after tear-off.

Pairs with the Gutter Calculator

Siding Types Compared

Vinyl, fiber cement, wood, and metal side by side on cost, lifespan, maintenance, DIY difficulty, fire behavior, and how each one actually fails.

Pairs with the Siding Calculator

How Much Siding to Order

Perimeter × height, plus the gable triangles people forget, minus door and window openings, plus a waste factor sized to wall complexity — divided into 100 sq ft squares.

Pairs with the Siding Calculator

What Drives Siding Costs

Material, tear-off and disposal, wall complexity, height and staging, the sheathing repair nobody can quote up front, the trim and flashing package, and a labor share of 30–50%.

Pairs with the Siding Calculator

Asphalt vs. Concrete Driveway

Cost, lifespan, maintenance, climate fit, and repair — pick the surface, then size materials with the calculators.

6 Types of Gravel for Driveways

Crushed stone #57, #67, #411, pea gravel, river rock, and decomposed granite — how to pick the right driveway gravel.

How Many Bags of Concrete Per Fence Post?

Quick reference tables by hole size and post type, with 40lb / 60lb / 80lb bag counts and the math behind each number.

Gravel Prices by State — July 2026 Update

2026 gravel price per ton, a state-by-state table, and the regional factors — delivery distance, cost of living, gravel type — behind the numbers.

How Much Concrete for a 20x20 Slab?

Worked math for a 20x20 slab at 4, 5, and 6 inches, a realistic waste factor, and whether to order ready-mix or bags.

How Much Sand Do You Need for a Patio?

Worked examples for patio bedding sand, the right sand types, and honest advice on waste factor and where compaction actually matters.

Play Sand vs Mason Sand vs Paver Base Sand

How the three most-confused sands differ in grain, texture, and use — and which to actually use for sandboxes, mortar, and paver bedding.

Spreadsheet Estimating vs a Dedicated Calculator

Speed, accuracy, and the cost of errors — an honest comparison of spreadsheet vs calculator estimating for contractors and serious DIYers.

Why Online Calculators Get Material Quantities Wrong

Missing waste factors, wrong density, no compaction, ignored site conditions — why online calculators mislead, and how to estimate accurately instead.