GaugeYardCalculate. Convert. Construct.
THE MANUAL LIBRARY

Every number, worked and explained.

Every GaugeYard manual in one place. Worked estimating guides and cost breakdowns for concrete, gravel, sand, mulch, and paint, with the formula shown.

66 manuals in printUpdated Oct 4, 2026
A pencil sketched floor plan on graph paper with a metal ruler and a calculator resting beside it on a wood tableLatest manualEstimating

Cost to Build a House

NAHB's 2024 Cost of Constructing a Home survey splits a sale price into construction, lot, and profit, then breaks construction into eight named stages.

23 min read
A square wooden post standing in a freshly dug round hole in bare earth, loose soil piled around the rim, with a plain paper sack lying on the ground beside it in warm low sunlightOutdoor Building

Chain Link Fence Installation Cost

Chain link fence installation cost breaks down by height, wire gauge, and coating, from residential 4 foot runs to...

26 min read
A sheet of graph paper on a dark table under a warm lamp, a wooden pencil lying across it beside a small calculator, with a folding rule out of focus behind, faint pencil lines drawn on the lower part of the sheetOutdoor Building

Fence Cost Calculator Guide

Fence cost calculator guide explains how the linear-foot method turns length, height, gates, and material tier into...

23 min read
A close-up of a hand holding a pencil against a wooden ruler laid across a block of lumber, marking a measurement, with a tape measure visible out of focus in the dark backgroundOutdoor Building

Wood Fence Cost Calculator

Wood fence cost calculator math turns a linear-foot count into an installed price, from picket and rail totals...

23 min read
A partly built wooden fence in a grassy yard, square timber posts standing in a line with two horizontal rails between them and one section already covered with vertical boards, an extended tape measure lying on the grass in frontOutdoor Building

Wood Fence Installation Cost

Wood fence installation cost breaks down by species, height, and picket style, from pressure-treated pine to cedar,...

24 min read
A white dump truck standing on a flush platform weighbridge at a dusty aggregate yard with stockpiles behind it, the weighing that turns a load into a figure in tonsAsphalt & Paving

How Much Asphalt Do I Need? Tons for a Driveway

This manual turns a driveway into tons of hot-mix: measure the area, fix a compacted thickness, work the volume,...

34 min read
A yellow tape measure held vertically against a plain painted wall above white baseboard, one hand steadying the blade at the top and the other holding the case at the floorEstimating

How Much Siding Do I Need? Square Footage in 6 Steps

This manual runs a siding takeoff end to end: wall rectangles, gable triangles, opening deductions, the waste...

33 min read
A ready-mix truck chute discharging wet grey concrete into a wooden form on a dirt subgrade while a worker in a cap pulls the pile flat with a long wooden tool, low sun behind a board fenceConcrete

How Long Does Concrete Take to Cure? Set Times by Day

How long does concrete take to cure? This manual times initial set, final set, walking, driving, and building on a...

31 min read
Two workers in orange hard hats and high visibility vests placing concrete inside a timber slab form on a house site, wet mix sliding off a chute on the left over a grid of steel bars laid in squares across the base, the second worker drawing a long straight board across the fresh surfaceEstimating

How Much Rebar Do I Need? Slab and Footing Spacing Math

This manual counts rebar from the slab itself: divide the clear span by the grid spacing, add one bar, multiply by...

35 min read
An open trench in a lawn lined with dark fabric, a shovel tipping pale rounded stone into it, a white perforated pipe lying in the near end of the trench and a mound of excavated soil alongsideSite Work

How to Calculate Slope and Grade for Drainage

This manual measures site slope with a level and a string line, then converts the fall into percent, ratio, degrees...

36 min read
A stack of large white panels leaning against an interior stud wall in an unfinished room, vertical wood studs running floor to ceiling behind them over brown sheathing, a white double hung window set into a framed opening on the right, bare panel subfloor underfootEstimating

How Many Studs Do I Need?

This manual counts studs from the layout: wall length over spacing plus one, then corner and tee extras, kings,...

40 min read
A metal tape measure with a black lock button sitting on a tiled floor, its yellow blade extended away across the tiles and crossing a grout line, warm light raking in from one sideEstimating

How Many Tiles Do I Need?

How much extra tile should you order? This manual counts tile in nine steps: measure the area, derive coverage, set...

39 min read
A heaped conical pile of shredded brown fibrous mulch on a paved driveway with a long-handled shovel leaning against it and a wooden fence behindLandscaping

How Much Does a Yard of Mulch Weigh?

This manual answers how much a yard of mulch weighs: roughly 400 to 800 pounds dry for wood mulch, far more soaked,...

32 min read
Sunlit dimensional timber standing in a mown lawn, square uprights carrying two horizontal rails with a run of vertical boards continuing beyond them, an orange tape measure lying open on the grass in the foregroundOutdoor Building

How to Calculate Deck Boards and Joists

This manual counts a deck from the boards down: area into linear feet, rows and the gap, the diagonal penalty, then...

41 min read
A person holding a yellow tape measure vertically against a pale interior wall, one hand steadying the case at the white baseboard and the other pinching the blade higher up the wallEstimating

How to Calculate Stair Rise and Run

This manual calculates stair rise and run in eleven steps: total rise floor to floor, whole risers, the exact riser,...

44 min read
A tall heaped pile of tan sand at a building supply yard with a long-handled shovel leaning into it and stacked pallets of grey block behindGravel & Stone

How Much Does a Yard of Sand Weigh?

This manual answers how much does a yard of sand weigh: about 2,700 pounds dry and near 3,375 saturated, with the...

33 min read
Rolls of cut turf stacked in a pyramid on a wooden pallet standing on bare raked soil, a garden rake leaning at the right, mown green grass beyond in low warm lightLandscaping

How Much Sod Do I Need?

This manual sizes a sod order from the tape measure out: square feet first, a waste allowance from the perimeter,...

31 min read
A low red brick wall part way up in a garden, courses staggered so the joints fall over the middle of the brick below, a yellow spirit level and a pointing trowel resting on the top course, loose bricks stacked on the ground beside a board of mortarEstimating

How Many Bricks Do I Need?

How many bricks do I need? This manual derives the count from the brick's own nominal face: divide 144 by that area,...

37 min read
A partly finished paver area in a fenced yard, rectangular pavers laid in a herringbone pattern with a darker section beyond, a rubber mallet and an extended tape measure resting on the surfaceLandscaping

How Many Pavers Do I Need?

A paver base calculator in one page: how many pavers, cubic yards of gravel base, bedding and joint sand, all...

36 min read
A stack of white faced panels leaning against exposed wooden wall studs in an unfinished room with a window and daylight falling across the top panelEstimating

How Many Sheets of Drywall Do I Need?

This manual derives the drywall sheet count from wall and ceiling area, fixes the opening deduction cutoff, then...

37 min read
Close view along the courses of a brown and grey asphalt shingle roof in daylight with blue sky beyond the ridgeRoofing

How Many Shingles Do I Need?

How many shingles do I need starts with the roof area, not the house size: this manual works footprint to squares,...

35 min read
A ready-mix concrete truck with its mixing drum and folded discharge chute seen from behind at a low angle on a suburban residential street in warm lightConcrete

How Much Does a Yard of Concrete Weigh?

This manual weighs a cubic yard of concrete from its density: about 3,915 pounds at 145 lb per cubic foot, and what...

35 min read
A partly built wooden fence in a grassy yard, square timber posts standing in a line with two horizontal rails between them and one section already covered with vertical boards, an extended tape measure and a string lying on the grass in frontOutdoor Building

How to Calculate Fence Materials

This manual counts a fence from the runs out: sections plus one post per run, rails by the section, pickets from...

39 min read
A yellow spirit level held horizontally against a sloping wooden rafter in an attic, with a tape measure blade extended vertically from a hand below, past the level's free end, up to the rafterRoofing

How to Calculate Roof Pitch

Roof pitch manual: how to calculate roof pitch by measuring rise per 12 inches of run in the attic, on the roof, or...

37 min read
A hand marking a short wooden block with a pencil while a yellow tape measure lies across the face of it, lit warmly against a dark backgroundEstimating

How to Calculate Board Feet in 6 Steps

This manual walks how to calculate board feet: the formula, the quarter system, nominal versus actual sizes, and the...

26 min read
Cross section of a gravel installation showing a coarse base layer under a finer surface layer with a plate compactor nearbyGravel & Stone

How Deep Should Gravel Be? Driveways, Pavers, Paths, Drains

How deep should a gravel driveway base be, and for paver bases, pea gravel, paths, and drains? This reference sets...

29 min read
A freshly dug fence post hole with a 4x4 post standing in it and a bag of concrete mix beside itConcrete

How to Set a Fence Post in Concrete

This manual sets a fence post in concrete in seven steps: hole depth and diameter rules, concrete per post,...

28 min read
A ready-mix truck chute discharging wet grey concrete into a wheelbarrow at a residential jobsite under a bright sky, the pour day the forecast has to approveConcrete

Pouring Concrete in Cold Weather or Rain

This manual covers pouring concrete in cold weather: the 40 degree threshold, the concrete curing temperature to...

32 min read
A ready-mix concrete truck chute pouring wet grey concrete into wooden forms while a worker guides the flow, the stage where most future cracks are decidedConcrete

Why Does Concrete Crack? Causes, Types, and Prevention

This explainer sorts out why concrete cracks after pouring: plastic shrinkage, settlement, drying shrinkage,...

29 min read
A ready-mix concrete truck chute pouring wet grey concrete into wooden patio forms while a worker guides the flowConcrete

Concrete Patio Cost

Concrete patio cost runs by the square foot and by size, from a plain broom finish to stamped: this brief prices...

30 min read
A french drain trench lined with landscape fabric being filled with washed drainage gravel around a perforated pipeLandscaping

French Drain Cost

French drain cost runs by the linear foot, from a shallow curtain drain to a footing trench and an interior basement...

31 min read
A long tape measure stretched down the length of a gravel drive past a wheelbarrow in warm light, the length and width an asphalt driveway cost estimate starts fromAsphalt & Paving

Asphalt Driveway Cost

Asphalt driveway cost runs by the square foot and by the ton: this brief prices both and sets asphalt overlay cost...

44 min read
A stamped and colored concrete patio imprinted in an ashlar slate pattern in warm daylight, the finished result a stamped concrete cost estimate pays forConcrete

Stamped Concrete Cost

This cost brief prices stamped concrete per square foot, from a basic single-color pattern to premium custom...

29 min read
A freshly finished plain broom-finish concrete driveway leading to a two-car garage in warm evening light, the kind of finished job a concrete driveway cost estimate producesConcrete

Concrete Driveway Cost

Concrete driveway cost per square foot runs plain to stamped in this brief, with the thickness, rebar, base, and...

27 min read
A bulk delivery heaped on a residential driveway with a shovel in it, mulch here rather than stone, but the same by-the-load arrival a gravel driveway cost turns into an orderGravel & Stone

Gravel Driveway Cost

Gravel driveway cost runs by the ton and the square foot: this brief prices both, works out how much gravel you need...

33 min read
A low concrete block wall going up in a garden, three courses of grey blocks on a gravel base beside excavated soil, with a spirit level and a pointing trowel resting on the open top courseLandscaping

How to Bid a Retaining Wall Job

How to bid a retaining wall job starts with cost per square foot. This cost brief prices a wall by material, height,...

32 min read
A finished concrete paver patio with tight, sanded joints catching warm daylight, the surface a sealer has to coverLandscaping

Paver Sealer

This explainer covers paver sealer: what it protects, film-forming versus penetrating types, matte to wet-look...

35 min read
Piles of crushed stone, sand, and dark soil staged at a materials yard in warm daylight, the kind of materials a block wall is built fromLandscaping

Concrete Blocks for Retaining Walls

This explainer sorts the concrete blocks for retaining walls, segmental SRW, standard CMU, and interlocking, by...

33 min read
A decorative concrete surface with a low even sheen catching warm evening light, the wet-look finish a film sealer leaves behindConcrete

Concrete Sealer Types

Concrete sealer types split into four families, penetrating, acrylic, epoxy, and polyurethane, with the use, finish,...

33 min read
Unlabeled metal cans of a two-part floor coating on a workbench, one open with a wooden stir stick resting in the amber productConcrete

How to Epoxy a Garage Floor

This manual epoxies a garage floor in seven steps: test the slab, pick the epoxy paint for concrete, prep and etch,...

27 min read
A residential concrete driveway leading to a two-car garage in warm evening light, the kind of slab where surface cracks commonly appearConcrete

How to Repair Concrete Cracks

This walkthrough repairs concrete cracks step by step: assess the crack type, clean and rout it, match the filler to...

29 min read
A freshly broom-finished residential concrete driveway leading to a two-car garage in warm evening lightConcrete

How to Seal a Concrete Driveway

This manual seals a concrete driveway in six steps: pick a sealer, clean and repair, wait for a dry window, roll...

24 min read
Stacked bags of dry concrete mix on a pallet at a supply yard, the product most people call cement even though it is really a concrete blendConcrete

Portland Cement vs Concrete

This explainer settles portland cement vs concrete: cement is the powder binder, concrete is cement plus sand,...

33 min read
A person spreading and leveling a compacted gravel base inside a string-marked excavation in a backyard, the kind of base a wall is set onLandscaping

How to Build a Retaining Wall

This manual builds a retaining wall in eight steps: plan it, calculate the units, dig the base trench, level the...

33 min read
Stacked bags of dry mix on a pallet at a residential site rather than the block wall itself, the bagged mortar half of a block countConcrete

How Many Concrete Blocks Do You Need? The Wall Math

This manual counts concrete blocks by hand: measure the wall, subtract openings, multiply by blocks per square foot,...

25 min read
A steel tape measure stretched down a gravel lane outdoors past a wheelbarrow, with trees on both sides in warm daylightReference

Land Area Measurement Guide

This reference sets out the fixed land area constants: 640 acres to a square mile, 43,560 square feet to an acre,...

26 min read
Stacked timber, cut slabs and a tape measure on a dark bench, the kind of materials a coverage table turns into an orderReference

Material Coverage Reference

Yard of concrete coverage by slab thickness, concrete bag yields, cubic yard coverage by depth, plus paint, mortar,...

28 min read
A person kneeling to run a tape measure along a plank floor in an empty room lit by a bright windowEstimating

How to Calculate Square Footage and Square Feet

This manual runs square footage calculations step by step: how to calculate square feet with the area formula,...

40 min read
Stacked timber, cut stone slabs, and a tape measure arranged on a dark bench, the materials a written estimate has to put a price againstEstimating

How to Write a Contractor Estimate

This manual writes a contractor estimate line by line: define the scope, price the materials, add labor and...

33 min read
A person mixing wet grey concrete in a green wheelbarrow with a garden hoe on a residential driveway in warm daylightConcrete

How to Mix Concrete

This manual mixes concrete in six steps: choose a method, calculate the batch, get the water ratio right, mix, check...

27 min read
A freshly built and compacted gravel driveway of angular crushed stone curving toward a single-family home in warm daylightGravel & Stone

How to Build a Gravel Driveway

This manual builds a gravel driveway in seven steps: measure and plan, calculate yards and tons, excavate, layer...

30 min read
A finished rectangular paver patio in a residential backyard with tightly jointed concrete pavers in warm daylightLandscaping

Paver Patio

This manual lays a paver patio in eight steps: plan the slope, size a concrete paver patio, calculate pavers, base,...

33 min read
Two workers pouring and screeding a fresh wet concrete slab inside wooden forms on a residential jobsite in warm daylightConcrete

How to Pour a Concrete Slab

This manual pours a concrete slab in eight steps: plan it, calculate the mix, compact a base, build forms,...

30 min read
A screed board resting across wooden edge forms over a fresh concrete slab on a jobsite in warm daylightConcrete

How to Calculate Concrete for a Slab

This manual calculates concrete for a slab in five steps: measure the form, convert to cubic yards, add a waste...

24 min read
Stacked timber, cut stone slabs, and a tape measure arranged on a dark bench, the materials and the measurement every estimate starts fromEstimating

Material Estimate

Material estimate and materials estimate math: measure the area or volume, apply coverage or density, add a waste...

42 min read
A large heaped pile of crushed gravel aggregate at a building supply yard with a front loader bucket resting nearby in warm afternoon lightGravel & Stone

How Much Does a Yard of Gravel Weigh?

This manual answers how much does a yard of gravel weigh: a cubic yard runs roughly 2,400 to 2,900 pounds, about 1.2...

25 min read
A yellow tape measure lying on bare dirt inside a rectangle marked out with string lines and wooden stakesEstimating

Cubic Yard Calculator

Yardage calculator and manual: turn length, width, and depth into cubic yards of gravel, soil, sand, or concrete...

39 min read
A large heaped pile of dark screened topsoil beside a wheelbarrow in a green garden in warm afternoon lightLandscaping

How Much Topsoil Do You Need? A Calculator and the Math

This manual answers how much topsoil do i need from the tape measure out: area times depth over 324 for cubic yards,...

26 min read
A large pile of crushed gravel aggregate at a building supply yard with a front loader bucket resting nearby in warm daylightGravel & Stone

Tons to Cubic Yards

This manual shows how to convert tons to cubic yards using material density: tons divided by tons-per-cubic-yard,...

24 min read
A large pile of fine construction sand at a building supply yard under a pale winter skyLandscaping

How Much Sand Do You Need? A Calculator and the Math

This manual works the sand volume formula end to end: area times depth over 27 for cubic yards, the tons conversion,...

26 min read
A worker smoothing a fresh concrete pour with a steel trowel in warm amber light at a residential jobsiteConcrete

How Much Does Concrete Cost? Per Yard, Per Bag, and Installed

Concrete cost calculator guidance: price a slab three ways, per cubic yard, per bag, and per square foot installed,...

25 min read
Stacks of dry concrete mix bags piled on a wooden pallet at a residential jobsite in warm amber lightConcrete

How Many Bags of Concrete Do You Need? Bag Yields and the Math

How many bags of concrete do I need starts with cubic feet over yield: what 40, 50, 60, and 80 pound bags actually...

24 min read
A gravel driveway with an empty wheelbarrow and a rake resting on freshly spread gravel in warm evening lightGravel & Stone

How Much Gravel Do I Need? Driveways, Paths, and Drainage

This manual works the gravel volume formula end to end: area times depth over 27 for cubic yards, the tons...

23 min read
Fresh dark wood mulch spread across a curved garden bed beside a wheelbarrow in warm amber lightLandscaping

How Much Mulch Do I Need? Cubic Yards and Bags per Area

This manual works the mulch formula end to end: area times depth over 324 for cubic yards, the bag-versus-bulk...

24 min read
Fresh concrete being poured into a wooden slab form in warm evening lightConcrete

Concrete Calculator

How much concrete do I need? This calculator covers slabs, footings and post holes: enter length, width and...

28 min read
A paint roller loading warm gold paint from a metal tray in soft window lightEstimating

How Much Paint Do I Need? Wall and Room Coverage Math

This manual works the wall-area formula, the two-coat default, primer and texture math, and the gallon rounding...

23 min read