09 JanUnderstanding Reconstruction Cost

A property’s ‘reconstruction cost’, often referred to as its ‘replacement value’ is the amount that the insurance company estimates it will cost to completely rebuild the property from the ‘ground up’ with like-kind materials at the current labor rate and materials cost for the geographic area in which the property is located.

This amount also includes often disregarded or forgotten ‘soft costs’ such as architectural fees, permitting fees, and the cost of demolishing and/or removing the damaged structure prior to rebuilding.