The Douglas Residential Cost Guide

Trusted Residential and Agricultural Cost Evaluation Tools

The Douglas Agricultural Cost Guide has been in use for over 10 years and has become the main source/standard, in Canada, for estimating the Replacement Cost of agricultural use structures as well as for estimating the Actual Cash Value / Depreciated Value of those same buildings. The Douglas Agricultural Cost Guide has become the go-to source for agricultural construction costs, based on the accuracy of the costing data and the feedback from subscribers.

The Douglas Residential Cost Guide, although a newer product, has been in use for approximately 7 years, and has the same accuracy and reliability as the agricultural cost guide. The Douglas Residential Cost Guide is a great resource to have in your library, on your desk or on your computer as an online resource. The costing data is market sourced and is reflective of current conditions and trends within the residential construction field.

Researched, Compiled and Published in Canada

The Douglas Cost Guides have been developed in Canada, as a resource for professionals within the insurance industry, real estate appraisers, government agencies and financial institutions, to accurately estimate/calculate the Replacement Cost New of a wide variety of agricultural use structures and single-family residences. It is a must for the library and desks and computers, of all professionals, where an accurate, quick and reliable estimate of Replacement Cost New and Actual Cash Value is required.

The Douglas Agricultural Cost Guide: Industry-trusted Cost Evaluation Solution for Over 25 Years

For over 25 years, the Douglas Agricultural Cost Guide has been the tool of choice for estimating the Replacement Cost of a wide range of agricultural use buildings. The costing data contained within the agricultural cost guide is a compilation of actual construction costs, various estimates for agricultural use buildings and other construction cost sources, from across Canada. The Douglas Agricultural Cost Guide translates costs into a square footage rate for easy application, with adjustments for extra features and for equipment, where applicable.

The Agricultural Cost Guide offers data for a wide range of Agricultural buildings such as:

• Dairy Facilities
• Greenhouses
• Beef Facilities
• Swine Facilities
• Commodity and Feed Storage
• Equine Facilities
• Manure Storage
• Machinery Storage
• Produce Storage
• Poultry Facilities

The Douglas Residential Cost Guide

Just like the industry-trusted Agricultural Cost Guide, The Douglas Residential Cost Guide has been developed with the same research and market data investigation and insights, to provide users with more accurate home rebuild estimate data.

What It Provides

The costing tool/calculator is intended as a resource for:

• Assisting with insurance coverage recommendations
• Assisting with the settlement of insurance claims
• Financial management
• Accounting functions
• Budgeting for new construction
• Assisting with obtaining financing
• Assisting in the settlement of disputes/litigation

Trusted Residential Cost Evaluations

• The Douglas Residential Cost Guide utilizes the compilation of actual residential construction costs, the use of various estimates for residential occupancies and other construction cost sources from across Canada for calculation purposes.
• The Douglas Residential Cost Guide employs the same techniques for calculating the Replacement Cost New, utilizing a rate per square foot as the base rate and then applying adjustments for the various additional and unique features.
• The Douglas Residential Cost Guide is a newer product, having been developed within the past 7 years, it features recently compiled data

The Residential Cost Guide encompasses a wide variety of home and building models for estimating/ calculating purposes, including:

• Raised Ranch / Bi-Level
• Side Split / Back Split
• 1-1/2 Storey
• 1-3/4 Storey
• 2 Storey
• 2-1/2 Storey
• Victorian – Double Brick
• Victorian – Triple Brick
• Fieldstone
• High Valued Residences
• Semi-Detached

Adjustment Factors for Unique Building & Construction Situations

Within the Douglas Cost Guides, there are location adjustment factors, as required, to allow for differences in construction costs between the various provinces. There are also adjustments for unique construction situations.

Tools for Estimating Actual Cash Value & Depreciation Value

The Douglas Cost Guides include a physical depreciation schedule for estimating the Actual Cash Value / Depreciated Value of the residence or structure being valued.

The Douglas Cost Guides

Both the Residential and Agricultural cost guides are only available online.  Both have been created to include the most accurate data available and have been researched, compiled and published right here in Canada.

Douglas Cost Guide Online Cost Evaluation Tool

The web-based version of the Douglas Cost Guides is an online software program that is updated on an on-going basis. The costing data, with respect to the online versions, is updated as market conditions indicate and change whether that be on a monthly basis or every few months or more regular as new costing data is gathered.

The Douglas Cost Guide Online Cost Evaluation Tool is a responsive program that is fully functional and can be used on desktop computers, laptops, tablets and most mobile devices.

Trusted by Industry Professionals

The Douglas Cost Guides are utilized primarily by the insurance industry, across Canada, but are also trusted by industry professionals and organizations such as:

• Insurance agents
• Brokers
• Underwriters
• Loss prevention inspector/ adjusters
• Revenue Canada
• Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (Ontario)
• Real Estate Appraiser
• Banks and Financial Institutions

Developed by Karl Douglas

The developer of the cost guide, Karl Douglas, has been involved in the estimating and appraisal/evaluation of agricultural use buildings and residential occupancies, for over 30 years.

Karl Douglas will provide consulting services for unusual or challenging situations. Most consultation work can be accomplished through email correspondence with the use of written information and photographs, as well as through telephone conversations.

Trust the Canadian Standard for Estimating Replacement Cost

Trust the Canadian standard and go-to resource for estimating the Replacement Cost for both residential and agriculture buildings. Gain industry-trusted insights and data to acquire the most accurate Replacement Cost.