Terms of Service

Effective date: June 15, 2026 · Applies to StartBuild.com and CostToBuildAHouse.com, operated by StartBuild LLC.

  1. What you’re buying. A Cost To Build report is a line-item construction cost estimate for your plan and ZIP code, and should be used only for planning purposes. It is a planning figure, not a contractor bid, and it does not include the cost of land. We work to be conservative and accurate to within about 10%, but actual costs depend on your builder, your site, and market conditions.
  2. Your responsibility to verify. You take full responsibility for verifying your real costs with actual bids, budgets, and quotes from builders, subcontractors, and suppliers before borrowing, buying, or building. A report informs those conversations — it does not replace them.
  3. Access periods. Cost To Build reports include 60 days of online edits and re-exports. Any purchase that includes BudgetBuilder extends access to 12 months on both the budget and the report.
  4. Accounts. You’re responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. One account per customer.
  5. All sales are final. Because every report is custom-prepared for your specific plan and ZIP code, we do not offer refunds. If something in your report needs correcting, reach out through our contact page — your 60-day edit window and our estimator team are there to make it right.
  6. Limitation of Liability and Governing Law.
    1. Maximum Cap. Our total aggregate liability for any claim, loss, or damage arising from a report or its use is strictly limited to the exact amount you paid us for that specific report.
    2. Exclusions. We provide information only. We are not liable for construction outcomes, physical defects, financing decisions, project delays, or any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages.
    3. Time Limit. You agree to bring any cause of action or claim arising out of these terms or our reports within 6 months after the claim arises, or the claim is permanently barred.
    4. Indemnity. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless our LLC from any third-party claims, losses, or expenses (including attorney fees) resulting from your reliance on or distribution of our reports.
    5. Jurisdiction and Venue. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. You agree that any legal action must be filed exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California. Both parties waive any right to participate in a class-action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.
  7. Acceptable use. Reports are for your personal project planning. Don’t resell, scrape, or republish report data.
  8. Plan ownership. Uploading a plan confirms you have the right to use it for estimating. House plans remain the property of their publishers/designers.

Questions? Visit our contact page. See also our Privacy Policy.