Every Job, One Chart
The dot is the median. The dark bar is the middle half of permits, the pale bar the 10th to 90th percentile. The scale is logarithmic so a $4,000 door and a $65,000 addition both fit.
10th to 90th percentileMiddle half (25th to 75th)Median
Costs by Job, With a Quote Check
Each page has the Madison range, a box to check where your quote falls, what moves the price, the busy months and who pulled the permits.
- Roof$16,000median · middle half $12,000–$21,500 · 5,581 permits
- Siding$14,500median · middle half $6,650–$23,000 · 390 permits
- Windows$9,900median · middle half $4,800–$18,000 · 705 permits
- Exterior doors$3,950median · middle half $2,700–$7,650 · 291 permits
- Deck$15,000median · middle half $8,450–$25,000 · 282 permits
- Fireplace or insert$7,900median · middle half $6,600–$10,500 · 144 permits
The Full Table
| Job | Permits | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement Tear-off and re-roof, gutters allowed, no siding | 5,581 | $8,250 | $12,000 | $16,000 | $21,500 | $30,000 |
| Roof and siding together Both on one permit | 1,822 | $14,000 | $19,000 | $26,500 | $37,500 | $51,000 |
| Window replacement Replacement windows, may include doors | 705 | $2,450 | $4,800 | $9,900 | $18,000 | $30,000 |
| Siding replacement Siding, soffit, fascia; no roof | 390 | $3,800 | $6,650 | $14,500 | $23,000 | $36,000 |
| Exterior door replacement Entry, patio or sliding door only | 291 | $1,800 | $2,700 | $3,950 | $7,650 | $12,500 |
| Deck New or rebuilt deck | 282 | $5,000 | $8,450 | $15,000 | $25,000 | $37,000 |
| Bathroom remodel Bathroom only | 222 | $5,000 | $9,550 | $17,000 | $29,500 | $50,000 |
| Basement finishing Finish or remodel a basement; may include a bathroom | 216 | $6,250 | $11,000 | $30,000 | $52,500 | $78,000 |
| Fireplace or gas insert Insert, stove or fireplace | 144 | $5,600 | $6,600 | $7,900 | $10,500 | $14,000 |
| Kitchen remodel Kitchen only | 137 | $3,800 | $9,000 | $20,500 | $37,500 | $63,000 |
| Addition Adds living space | 111 | $9,000 | $19,500 | $65,000 | $116,000 | $220,000 |
| Porch Porch, screened or three-season | 49 | $2,450 | $5,200 | $12,000 | $22,000 | $52,000 |
| Foundation repair Repair, bracing, waterproofing, drain tile | 41 | $3,500 | $5,800 | $9,700 | $19,000 | $25,000 |
Download the data (CSV) · 13 rows · checked 2026-10-15
Bathrooms, kitchens, basements and additions vary too much in size for one price to mean much: an addition's middle half runs from $19,500 to $116,000. They're in the table, but there's no quote box for them.
Per Square Foot
- New single-family houses: a median of $120 a square foot (middle half $110–$128), from 202 new-house permits that list the building's square feet.(City of Madison) That's the construction estimate on the permit, without land.
- Decks: a median of $100 a square foot (middle half $50–$100), from 372 deck permits since Oct 2023 that give the deck's size. See deck costs.
The Busiest Months, by Job
When contractors are busiest, from permit dates in the two years before the April 2026 hail storm. Darker is busier. Outdoor work peaks from late spring through fall; indoor remodels are spread more evenly.
What the Madison Permit Costs
The fees the city charged on the same permits, from the "Fees Paid" column of its permit reports. The contractor usually pulls the permit and includes the fee in the price.
| Job | Median fee | Middle half | Fee as share of median cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior door replacement | $44 | $33–$88 | 1.1% |
| Deck | $75 | $50–$76 | 0.5% |
| Porch | $87 | $66–$179 | 0.7% |
| Fireplace or gas insert | $88 | $77–$121 | 1.1% |
| Foundation repair | $110 | $77–$209 | 1.1% |
| Window replacement | $116 | $55–$198 | 1.2% |
| Addition | $155 | $116–$258 | 0.2% |
| Siding replacement | $165 | $77–$253 | 1.1% |
| Roof replacement | $176 | $132–$242 | 1.1% |
| Bathroom remodel | $205 | $110–$330 | 1.2% |
| Kitchen remodel | $245 | $110–$421 | 1.2% |
| Roof and siding together | $297 | $209–$418 | 1.1% |
| Basement finishing | $355 | $155–$611 | 1.2% |
Three Years of Prices
| Job | Oct 2023–Sep 2024 | Oct 2024–Sep 2025 | Oct 2025–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | $13,822 | $15,303 | $16,000 |
| Roof and siding together | $24,195 | $26,775 | $26,297 |
| Window replacement | $8,341 | $8,678 | $9,900 |
| Siding replacement | $15,000 | $16,986 | $14,289 |
| Exterior door replacement | $5,000 | $4,195 | $3,970 |
| Deck | $13,974 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Bathroom remodel | $12,810 | $17,631 | $17,200 |
| Basement finishing | $18,500 | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| Fireplace or gas insert | $7,000 | $7,186 | $7,900 |
| Kitchen remodel | $19,550 | $16,550 | $20,550 |
| Addition | $50,000 | $70,950 | $64,995 |
| Porch | $20,000 | $18,841 | $12,000 |
| Foundation repair | $10,900 | $13,085 | $9,711 |
Jobs With No Madison Price Data
Furnaces, air conditioners, water heaters, electrical panels and plumbing get Madison's electrical, heating or plumbing permits. Those permits record the fee, not the price of the job, so there's no Madison number to publish, and we won't use national averages instead. Garage doors, gutters, driveways, fences and insulation mostly don't get a building permit with a cost. For those jobs, see furnace and AC repair, garage door repair and energy rebates.
How We Got These Numbers
- The source. Madison publishes a construction permit report with an "Est Cost" and the fees paid for each building permit.(City of Madison) Est Cost is what the applicant wrote on the application. It isn't audited and it's not the final bill.
- Which permits. One- and two-family houses only, 12,013 permits from Oct 2025–Sep 2026. We kept permits whose description names one job (so "re-roof and re-side" counts as roof and siding together, not as both), with a business named as contractor and a cost of at least $500. 467 owner-pulled permits are left out because their figure is often materials only, and 44 permits naming several jobs were skipped. A job needs 30 permits to be shown.
- The hail storm. The last 12 months include the rush of roof and siding permits after the April 14, 2026 hail storm. Busy months use the two years before it.
- Sizes. Window and door counts, deck sizes and roof types come from the permit description, over all 36 months since Oct 2023.
- Fitchburg. Fitchburg's permit spreadsheets also carry a "Total Cost."(City of Fitchburg) Its 617 house roof permits from Jan 2025–Jul 2026 had a median of $21,600. It's a different city with different forms, so we don't mix the two.
- Refreshed monthly from the city's reports. No owner names or addresses are published.
Questions
Where Do These Prices Come From?
From the estimated cost written on City of Madison building permits. Every permit for a roof, siding, windows, a deck or a remodel lists one. We counted 11,482 costed permits on houses from Oct 2025–Sep 2026 and kept the ones that describe a single job.
Why Isn't There a Price for a Furnace, Water Heater or Garage Door?
Those jobs get electrical, heating or plumbing permits, and those permits record the fee, not the price of the job. We don't fill the gap with national averages.
Are Permit Costs the Same as What People Paid?
Not exactly. The figure is what the applicant wrote on the permit application before the work. The city doesn't audit it, and change orders don't show up.
Related Guides
- Madison Contractors by Permit Record LookupWith the contractor lookup.
- Hiring a ContractorWhich Wisconsin license each trade needs.
- Home Improvement ContractsWhat Wisconsin requires in writing.
- The Hail Storm That Re-Roofed MadisonThe 2026 hail storm, by the permits.
- Remodel Permits in Madison, WIWhich projects need one.