HomesAndHedge tools

Free calculators: what should this actually cost?

These free calculators give an instant indicative answer for common UK home and garden jobs, built only from published, named sources. There are no forms and no email gates, and each tool ends by pointing you to the correct professional body rather than a sales pitch.

Each tool is honest by design: where the right answer is that you do not need to spend anything, it says so. Results are indicative ranges for orientation before you get written quotes, never a price for your specific job.

Honest checkers: should you act at all?

Do you actually have rising damp? A symptom checklist that, by design, tells most people they have condensation, not rising damp, and do not need a damp proof course. Is this even Japanese knotweed? A feature-by-feature checker that most often returns "probably a lookalike, do not panic and do not pay for removal". Not a definitive ID. Do you legally need a professional or a licence? For bats, nesting birds, knotweed waste, protected trees and rodenticides: when DIY is lawful, when you need consent, and the offence risk. Should you even treat this? Scores severity, spread, height and legal exposure and tells you honestly whether to monitor it, do it yourself, or call a pro. Quote sense-check Paste a quote total and job type to see where it sits against a published benchmark band, plus the questions to ask before you pay.

Cost estimators: what should this actually cost?

Damp treatment cost calculator Pick the damp type and rooms affected for an indicative range from published trade guides. Honestly tells you when you probably need ventilation, not treatment. Pest control cost estimator Pest type, property size and spread give an indicative range, then it points you to a BPCA pest controller. Japanese knotweed removal cost estimator Method, stand size and proximity drive the range, with the herbicide treatment-years note and the law to check first. Drain unblocking cost estimator Blockage location and method drive the range, and it flags when a shared or public sewer is a job for the water company, not you. Roof and gutter moss removal cost estimator Storeys, roof size and severity give a range, flagging scaffold versus ladder as the real cost driver, and when to just monitor. Tree surgery cost estimator Work type, tree height and access give a range, with a Tree Preservation Order and conservation-area check before any work.

Frequently asked questions

Are these tools really free, with no catch?

Yes. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere, and there is no form, sign-up or email gate. HomesAndHedge is funded by advertising, so the tools exist to be useful, not to capture your details.

Where do the cost figures come from?

Every constant in every calculator is taken from a named published source, usually a public UK trade price guide, with the source and access date shown next to the result. We never invent figures, and the output is an indicative range, not a quote.

What should I do with the result?

Use it as a sanity check before getting written quotes. Each tool points you to the correct professional body for that trade, such as the Property Care Association for damp, so you can find a qualified specialist rather than whoever advertises hardest.

Oliver Mackman

Editor, HomesAndHedge

Oliver Mackman is the editor of HomesAndHedge and is accountable for its editorial standards and sourcing. He ensures every claim is backed by a named source such as the Property Care Association, the RHS, the NHS or gov.uk, and that the site is clear about when a job needs a qualified professional.

Last reviewed: 11 June 2026