Home Insurance Coverage Calculator
Find out how much homeowners insurance you actually need — dwelling rebuild cost, belongings, temporary living expenses and liability — and whether your current policy leaves you dangerously underinsured.
How this calculator works
A homeowners policy is really four coverages bundled together, and this tool sizes each one from your home's rebuild cost:
- Dwelling (Coverage A) = square footage × rebuild cost per sq ft. This is the structure itself — walls, roof, foundation, built-in systems.
- Personal property (Coverage C) = a percentage of your dwelling amount (you set 30–75%; 50% is a common default). This covers furniture, clothing, electronics and everything you'd take if you moved.
- Loss of use (Coverage D) = 20% of your dwelling amount. It pays hotel bills, restaurant meals and other extra living costs while your home is uninhabitable after a covered loss.
- Personal liability (Coverage E) = the limit you choose. It protects you if someone is injured on your property or you're sued for damage you cause.
Add the first three together and you get the recommended total coverage. Liability sits alongside them and is priced separately, so it isn't added into the rebuild total.
Home insurance FAQs
Replacement cost rebuilds or replaces with new materials of like kind and quality, with no deduction for age. Actual cash value (ACV) subtracts depreciation, so an older roof or sofa pays out far less. For your dwelling — and ideally your belongings — choose replacement cost. ACV policies are cheaper but can leave a painful gap at claim time.
Enough to rebuild from the foundation up at today's local labor and material prices. Square footage times a regional rebuild cost per square foot (often $100–$250+) is a solid starting estimate, but custom finishes, steep roofs, and post-disaster demand surges can push it higher. When in doubt, round up rather than risk a coinsurance penalty.
Often not. Standard policies cap categories like jewelry, watches, firearms, cash and collectibles with sub-limits — frequently around $1,500–$2,500 per category. To fully protect a ring, an instrument or art, add a scheduled endorsement (a "rider") that lists each item at its appraised value, usually with no deductible.
Yes — both are excluded from standard homeowners policies. Flood coverage comes through the NFIP or a private flood carrier; earthquake protection is a separate policy or endorsement. If your area faces either risk, you must buy that coverage separately to be protected.