Guides
Worked examples and explainers that go with the Tupep calculators: real room sizes, real product coverage rates, and the waste factors that decide how much to buy. Every guide links back to the calculator it uses.
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Pea Gravel vs Crushed Stone
Rounded stone rolls, angular stone locks. Compare pea gravel and crushed stone on interlock, drainage, migration, and five-year cost on the same path.
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Mulch Depth by Type
Fine mulch mats and suffocates at depths coarse mulch handles fine. Correct depth by material, with coverage rates and a side-by-side volume example.
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Deck Framing Lumber List for a 10×12 Deck
Build a framing takeoff for a 10×12 deck: joist count, rim, ledger, beam plies, blocking and hardware, with span and footing sizing left to local code.
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Gate Framing: What the Calculator Does Not Count
Fence calculators skip the gate. Leaf width from opening minus gaps, frame and brace lumber, diagonal length math, hardware and gate post sizing.
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Door and Window Casing for a Full Remodel
Casing is counted per opening. A 22-opening remodel schedule, why 84 in stock cannot make a door leg, and how to cut 14 ft sticks to a plan.
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Grout for Large Format Tile
Large format tile uses surprisingly little grout, which creates its own problems. Joint volume math for 24×48, minimum joint width and color banding.
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Epoxy Primer on Bare Concrete: The Porosity Test
Run a water absorption test on bare concrete to set your primer factor, with a porosity table, a worked 500 sq ft example and moisture testing.
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Why Flooring Waste Is 7% Straight and 15% Diagonal
Flooring waste is a perimeter problem, not an area problem. The formula behind the 7 and 15 percent rules, and the rooms where both are wrong.
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How Much Concrete Per Fence Post
A 4×4 post in a 10 inch hole takes almost exactly 1 cubic foot, or two 80 lb bags. Hole sizing rules, the donut formula and a per-post bag table.
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Tile for a Shower Surround: Walls, Floor, Niche
A shower is four takeoffs, not one. Wall, pan, niche and curb each get their own waste factor. Full worked example for a 60×32 alcove shower.
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Drywall Thickness: When Code Actually Requires 5/8
Where 5/8 Type X is commonly required, how Type X differs from Type C, sag limits at 24-inch framing, and a formula for costing a thickness upgrade.
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How Much Exterior Paint for a 1,500 sq ft House
Floor area tells you nothing about siding area. Rebuild the estimate from footprint, wall height, gables and a texture factor, with a worked ranch example.