Rebuild cost is its own number
Four numbers orbit your house and only one belongs on the policy. Market value includes the land — which survives every fire. Purchase price is history. Assessed value is a tax figure. Rebuild cost — labor, materials, debris removal, and design fees to reconstruct the same home on the same lot — is what Coverage A insures. In much of coastal California rebuild cost sits well below market value; setting the limit from a Zillow estimate is how homes end up under- or over-insured.
Why this is a starting point your broker verifies
A per-square-foot figure is the honest first pass, not the last word. The real rebuild cost moves with construction quality (tract vs custom), number of stories, roof type, hillside access, and finish level — the adjustments a full replacement-cost valuation makes. That's why the number above is explicitly a broker-verified starting point: it gets you a credible target in seconds, and a licensed broker confirms it before your coverage is bound. See how much dwelling coverage you need and why an extended replacement cost cushion matters after California wildfires.
From estimate to bound coverage
Four minutes to a live HO-3 indication — then sign the real ACORD 80 online.
An independent broker shops admitted carriers, the FAIR Plan + DIC, and E&S markets. No fee, no obligation.
Get a pricing indication →Frequently asked
Is this a quote?
No. It's a preliminary rebuild-cost estimate to anchor your Coverage A. A real quote comes from carriers after underwriting, a replacement-cost valuation, wildfire-zone review, and usually an inspection. Nothing here is a quote, binder, or offer of coverage. More common questions →
Can you actually bind coverage from this?
Coverage is bound by a licensed broker with a carrier — not by a calculator. This tool hands your square footage into the official ACORD 80 application; once you complete and e-sign it, a broker verifies the rebuild cost and takes it to market to place bindable coverage.
Why $350 per square foot?
It's a deliberately honest California midpoint for rebuild cost, used only as a starting point. Custom construction, hillside sites, and high-end finishes push the real number higher; your broker verifies it with a full valuation. The method in full →