Estimate trade labor for a home addition using floor area, base labor intensity, project complexity, rework allowance, and crew schedule. The calculator distinguishes total labor-hours from elapsed crew time, helping you test construction schedules without confusing headcount with total effort.
Labor-hours represent total effort across trades. Crew weeks are an equivalent duration based on a constant average crew; real schedules also depend on trade sequencing, inspections, lead times, and tasks that cannot overlap.
Use a labor intensity from a genuinely comparable addition. Averages that mix different structural systems or finish levels can produce misleading schedules.
For 400 sq ft at 12 labor-hours per sq ft, 1.15 complexity, 8% rework, and six workers at 40 hours:
It is the combined labor-hours per square foot across the work included in your estimate.
Only in this equivalent-hours model. Sequencing and workspace constraints prevent perfect scaling in practice.
No. Enter construction labor only; preconstruction calendar time should be scheduled separately.
Coordination losses, minor corrections, punch work, and other effort not captured by ideal production.
Different trades work at different times, so peak staffing overstates the labor available throughout the project.
| Metric | Use |
|---|---|
| Labor-hours | Total combined effort |
| Person-days | Labor-hours ÷ 8 |
| Crew weeks | Equivalent scheduled duration |
| Complexity addition | Effort above the unadjusted base |