Sizu Home › Calculators › Pick Your Pieces
Opens on the book's two shopping lists. Change any quantity or price to your own and press Calculate.
Part A, the wall highway
| Material | Qty | Unit price |
|---|---|---|
| 1x12 x 8 ft pine board | ||
| 1x4 x 8 ft pine board (slats) | ||
| heavy-duty 10 in steel bracket | ||
| standard 6 x 8 in bracket (post top) | ||
| 4x4 x 8 ft Douglas-fir post | ||
| 5/16 in structural screws, box of 45 | ||
| #8 x 5/8 in screws (say) | ||
| 1/4 in eye bolts, 2-pack | ||
| 1/2 in sisal rope, 100 ft | ||
| fence staples, 1 lb | ||
| indoor-outdoor carpet, sq ft | ||
| T50 staples | ||
| wood glue, 16 oz | ||
| water-based polyurethane, quart |
Part B, the window catio
| Material | Qty | Unit price |
|---|---|---|
| 2x2 x 8 ft, untreated (box and door) | ||
| pressure-treated 2x2 x 8 ft (legs) | ||
| 3/4 in sanded plywood, 2 x 4 ft (floor) | ||
| 1 x 1 in 16 ga welded mesh, 36 in x 50 ft | ||
| exterior screws 2 1/2 in, 5 lb | ||
| fence staples, 1 lb | ||
| hinges, pair | ||
| hook and eye | ||
| barrel bolt |
Bought instead
Each piece, for cost per piece and per meter
Enter your prices and press Calculate.
The formula
- Line total = quantity × unit price; the part's total is the sum of its lines
- One step = board price × (step length ÷ board length) + 2 brackets + 4 structural screws (box price ÷ screws in the box each)
- Cost per meter of route = cost of the piece ÷ its length in meters
- Bought equivalent = 2 three-step sets + a bridge + a shelf + a post
The book's worked example, Chapter 3. Part A comes to 373.37 and Part B to 227.10: 600.47 for both. A budget bought set doing Part A's job is 200.00, so the build costs 173.37 more; a maker-built set is 492.00, so the build saves 118.63. One step is 31.83 in materials, 69.61 per meter of route; the window catio costs 77.10 more than a bought box, with 41 ft of mesh left on the roll.
A bought set's price leaves out fitting it; the build's price leaves out your time and any tools you buy (about 153 for the book's list). Metric first, imperial beside it. Prices are illustrative US home-center prices from November 2026, shown without a currency sign; put in your own. Everything stays in your browser: no sign-up, nothing stored.