I built a renovation marketplace that shows what homeowners actually paid in your area — not AI estimates
Hey r/SideProject,
I've been working on RenoQuant — it started as a free renovation calculator site (paint, tiles, flooring, etc.) but I realized calculators alone are pointless when ChatGPT can do the same math.
So I pivoted to something AI can't replicate:
Real cost data from real homeowners. After you calculate your materials, you can see what people in your postal code area actually paid for the same project. Not AI estimates, not generic national averages — user-reported costs broken down by labor, materials, and quality level.
Plus a quote marketplace where you can get real quotes from local contractors and compare them side by side.
The tech stack is Astro + React + Vercel + Neon Postgres. 74 calculator pages, 300+ contractor city pages, all statically generated for SEO.
Revenue model: contractor referral fees when a homeowner accepts a quote. No ads needed (though AdSense application is pending).
Some numbers:
- 409 indexable pages
- 18 calculator engines with regional pricing
- Token-based quote tracking (no login required)
- Crowdsourced cost data with 5-report minimum before displaying
Would love feedback on the product or the pivot strategy.
Posted Apr 2, 2026, 10:40 PM UTC