Sizu Riatto
Every Angle · Chapter 10

The DIY Bill

Doing it yourself turns the quote into a shopping list. Cable comes in whole boxes and plugs in pairs; the tools are a one-off. The difference from a quote is the installer's time, skill, insurance and warranty.

Home › Calculators › The DIY Bill

Opens on the book's house and plot. Change any number to your own and press Calculate.

The parts

Tools (put 0 for any you already own)

Compare (optional)

Enter the parts and their prices, then press Calculate.

The formula

  • Boxes of cable = the feet you need (m ÷ 0.3048) ÷ the feet in a box, rounded up
  • Plugs = runs × plugs a run + spares (one run a camera)
  • Parts = cameras × price + recorder + boxes × box price + junction boxes + plugs + doorbell + light + sign
  • The DIY bill = parts + tools; the quote − the DIY bill is what the installer is paid for time, skill, insurance and warranty
The book's worked example, Chapter 10. Five cameras at 90, the recorder 350, one 500 ft box of outdoor Cat6 190 for the 242.8 ft needed, five junction boxes, 12 plugs, the doorbell, a solar motion light and a sign: parts 1,286.80; tools 71.00; the DIY bill 1,357.80. Against the 2,780.00 quote that is 1,422.20: what the installer is paid for time, skill, insurance and warranty.
Check it. Price the same basket at two stores on the same day: if they differ by more than 10%, use the dearer one for the plan and buy at the cheaper.

Honest limits. Low-voltage PoE and battery devices only: mains lights, new sockets and the consumer unit are an electrician's job. Your time, a ladder you may need to buy or hire, and mistakes are not on this bill. The book's house was worked out on paper from published figures, not surveyed by us: measure your own, and walk your own plot at night. Prices are illustrative US prices from November 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.

These calculators go with Every Angle (Make It Add Up, Book 2), where every number on this page is worked by hand.