⛱ Home maintenance calculator

How much should you budget for home maintenance?

A common rule of thumb is to set aside 1 to 4 percent of your home’s value every year. That’s an average across every house in the province, not a number about yours. Budget Forecast works out your real number from the actual age of your roof, your furnace, your windows, and everything else you own.

Open the planner for free → See how it works

Free for a full home budget · No account needed · About 5 minutes to set up

The real math

Why a flat percentage isn’t enough

The 1 to 4 percent rule is a reasonable place to start. It stops being useful the moment you want a real number for your own house.

The 1 percent rule is only a starting point

A furnace with 15 years on it and one that’s 2 years old both get the same 1 percent, even though they carry very different risk. The rule can’t see the difference between a home that was renovated last year and one that hasn’t been touched in decades. Budget Forecast starts from what you own instead.

Every part of your home, priced

Roofing, HVAC, windows, appliances, plumbing, electrical, and more: 19-plus categories with typical cost ranges already filled in. Every price and quantity is yours to adjust, mark an item DIY, or add something unique to your home. A “Buying a Home” category even covers one-time purchase costs.

One monthly number that keeps itself current

Each item’s timeline counts down with the real calendar between visits, so it stays accurate without you touching it. As replacement dates get closer your monthly amount adjusts on its own, and anything overdue flags itself for review.

The result

One monthly number, and the report behind it

Once your home is set up, Budget Forecast adds every item’s cost into one monthly amount, then shows you exactly how it gets there: a full summary report, a chart, and a savings schedule you can hand to your bank. It’s part of the free Home budget type, so a single home never needs a Pro plan.

  • ✓One monthly number that covers every replacement on schedule
  • ✓A projected balance chart showing your savings build and dip
  • ✓A year-by-year savings plan you can print or export
The Budget Forecast summary report with the monthly number
Common questions

A few things people ask

Quick answers about budgeting for home maintenance. For everything else, the full FAQ has more.

How much should I budget for home maintenance each month?
It depends on your home: its age, size, and what’s already been replaced, so there’s no single right answer. Set up a free Home budget, check off what you own, and Budget Forecast works out a monthly number from the actual remaining life of your roof, furnace, windows, and everything else. The free plan covers a single home completely, so you can see your number today.
Is the 1% rule accurate?
It’s a reasonable ballpark, not a plan. The 1 to 4 percent range comes from averaging maintenance spending across many homes of different ages and conditions, so it can’t tell you whether your specific furnace or roof is due soon. Budget Forecast uses the same 1 percent idea as a sanity check, but the number it gives you comes from what you own and how old each part really is.
Does this replace an emergency fund?
No, they cover different things. An emergency fund is for the unexpected, like a burst pipe or a job loss, and needs to be ready for anything at any time. A home maintenance budget is for costs you can already see coming, like an aging roof or furnace, so the money is there before the bill is. For the full picture, see the difference between a sinking fund and an emergency fund in the FAQ.

See your real number

Check off what you own and watch your monthly number appear, built from your actual home.

Open the planner for free →