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Maintenance Budget Calculator

Enter your building's replacement value, floor area and condition. Results update instantly and stay in your browser.

How Much Should You Budget for Building Maintenance?

A widely cited guideline is 2–4% of a building's current replacement value each year for maintenance and repair. Our own rule of thumb: use the low end for a newer building and the high end for an older or heavily used one. Treat it as a planning range, then refine it with your own spending history and real contractor quotes.

Updated November 6, 2026 · Source: National Research Council, Committing to the Cost of Ownership (1990).

—per year
—per month
—per sq ft a year
—2–4% range

This is arithmetic on a published guideline, not a quote. Local labor rates, building age and lease terms change the real figure.

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Illustration of a clipboard budget sheet and calculator beside a small cutaway building

About This Calculator

What is current replacement value?

It is what it would cost to rebuild the building today, excluding land. It is not the market price. Your property insurance policy often shows a similar figure, and a building cost estimator or insurer can help you refine it.

Why 2–4%?

The range comes from a 1990 U.S. National Research Council report, Committing to the Cost of Ownership, about public buildings. It is widely used as a planning guideline for maintenance and repair. It is not a price, and your building can need more or less.

What does the budget not include?

It does not cover utilities, cleaning, security, major upgrades or a backlog of work you have already put off. Budget for those separately.

Next: the full budget guide · maintenance schedule · compare quotes

Listings: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Data last updated November 6, 2026 · Sources & method