About Buildculus

What we do

Buildculus publishes home-improvement calculators with live diagrams. Each tool is designed to be more useful than the generic version: clear inputs, an honest preview of what you're estimating, and results you can actually use to plan a purchase or a pour.

How we work

Every calculator is built on published manufacturer spec data and standard engineering values, and we cite our sources. When building codes change, when product spec sheets are revised, or when material prices shift in a way that affects how the calculator should be used, we update the affected pages. Corrections are welcome — if a number looks wrong, email us and we will look into it.

Who we are

I'm Mike Shutter, a Los Angeles homeowner and DIYer. For more than 20 years I've been working through real projects the hard way — measuring, hauling, cutting, fixing mistakes, and making the extra Home Depot run when the numbers came up short. I've built three houses myself and helped friends through dozens of remodels, repairs, and build-outs.
I'm not a contractor writing from the sales side. I write from the homeowner side: the person actually trying to figure out how much material to buy, which assumptions matter, and where a simple weekend project usually goes sideways. That's the gap I'm trying to fill — calculators and guides that show the math, name their assumptions, and build in the real-world margin most generic tools leave out.
Building in LA shapes the perspective too. Older houses on slab foundations, tight lots, seismic detailing, and the reality that on most of these projects nothing is perfectly square. The advice here is plainspoken and built for people doing the work themselves.