Methods and systems for estimating building reconstruction costs

• US 7,373,303 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Value Incorporated
• Original Assignee: e2Value Incorporated
• Inventors: Moore, George C., Rissel, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Erb; Nathan H.
• Application Number:
  US10/013,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20030115163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,346 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/20 Destination assistance within a business structure or complex
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for estimating a reconstruction cost for a building as well as for a designated area within a building. Reconstruction pricing data based on builder-supplied full reconstruction-cost data are stored in a database from which the data is accessed by geographic location, building-category and building-area type. The accessed data are used to produce the reconstruction cost estimate.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a reconstruction cost for a designated area within a building, comprising:

providing access to a database of reconstruction-pricing data comprising;

(a) a plurality of price-index data indexed by corresponding geographic location and representing reconstruction-pricing data for a plurality of different building types and a plurality of different building-area types within a building, (b) comparative building-category data representing relative pricing levels for reconstructing each of a plurality of different building categories, and (c) comparative building-area data representing relative pricing levels for reconstructing each of the plurality of different building-area types within a building;

providing geographic-location data of a predetermined building;

providing building category-defining data for the predetermined building;

providing building area-type data for a designated area within the building, the building area-type data being selected from the plurality of different building-area types within a building;

obtaining relevant price-index data from the database for the geographic location of the predetermined building based on the geographic-location data;

obtaining relevant comparative building-category data from the database for the predetermined building based on the building category-defining data for the predetermined building;

obtaining relevant comparative building-area data from the database based on the building area-type data for the designated area;

producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the designated area within the building based on the relevant price-index data, the relevant comparative building-category data and the relevant comparative building-area data; and

communicating the reconstruction-cost estimate to at least one of a presentation device and a user system for presentation to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparative building-category data comprises a plurality of comparative building-category data indexed by geographic location, and comprising obtaining the relevant building-category data from the database based on the geographic-location data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparative building-area data comprises a plurality of comparative building-area data indexed by geographic location, and comprising obtaining the relevant comparative building-area data from the database based on the geographic-location data.

4. A system for estimating a reconstruction cost for a designated area within a building, comprising:

means for providing access to a database of reconstruction-pricing data comprising;

(a) a plurality of price-index data indexed by corresponding geographic location and representing reconstruction-pricing data for a plurality of different building types and a plurality of different building-area types within a building, (b) comparative building-category data representing relative pricing levels for reconstructing each of a plurality of different building categories, and (c) comparative building-area data representing relative pricing levels for reconstructing each of the plurality of different building-area types within a building;

means for providing geographic-location data of a predetermined building;

means for providing building category-defining data for the predetermined building;

means for providing building area-type data for a designated area within the building, the building area-type data being selected from the plurality of different building-area types within a building;

means for obtaining relevant price-index data from the database for the geographic location of the predetermined building based on the geographic-location data;

means for obtaining relevant comparative building-category data from the database for the predetermined building based on the building category-defining data for the predetermined building;

means for obtaining relevant comparative building-area data from the database based on the building area-type data for the designated area; and

means for producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the designated area within the building based on the relevant price-index data, the relevant comparative building-category data and the relevant comparative building-area data.

5. A method for estimating a reconstruction cost for a predetermined building, comprising:

providing access to a database of reconstruction cost data accessible by geographic location and type of area within a building;

providing geoaraphic-location data indicating a geographic location of the predetermined building;

providing first building area-type data indicating a type of a first area within the building and second building area-type data indicating a type of a second area within the building, the first and second building area-type data being selected from a plurality of different predetermined building-area types;

obtaining first reconstruction-cost data for the first area within the building from the database, the first reconstruction-cost data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the first building area-type data;

obtaining second reconstruction-cost data for the second area within the building from the database, the second reconstruction-cost data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the second building area-type data;

producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the building based on the first and second reconstruction-cost data; and

communicating the reconstruction-cost estimate to at least one of a presentation device and a user system for presentation to a user.

6. A system for estimating a reconstruction cost for a predetermined building, comprising:

means for providing access to a database of reconstruction-cost data accessible by geographic location and type of area within a building;

means for providing geographic-location data indicating a geographic location of the predetermined building;

means for providing first building area-type data indicating a type of a first area within the building and second building area-type data indicating a type of a second area within the building, the first and second building area-type data being selected from a plurality of different predetermined building-area types;

means for obtaining first reconstruction-cost data for the first area within the building from the database;

the first reconstruction-cost data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the first building area-type data;

means for obtaining second reconstruction-cost data for the second area within the building from the database, the second reconstruction-cost data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the second building area-type data; and

means for producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the building based on the first and second reconstruction-cost data.

7. A method for estimating a reconstruction cost for a predetermined area within a building, comprising:

providing access to a database of full reconstruction-pricing data based on builder-supplied full reconstruction-price data, the full reconstruction-pricing data being expressed as a plurality of per unit area pricing data accessible according to geographic location and/or type of building area selected from a predetermined plurality of building-area types within a building;

providing geographic-location data indicating a geographic location of a predetermined building;

providing building area-type data for a designated area within the building, the building area-type data being selected from the predetermined plurality of building-area types;

obtaining corresponding per-unit-area pricing data for the designated area from the database, the corresponding per-unit-area pricing data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the building area-type data;

producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the designated area based on the corresponding per-unit-area pricing data and a size value for the designated area; and

communicating the reconstruction-cost estimate to at least one of a presentation device and a user system for presentation to a user.

8. A system for estimating a reconstruction cost for a predetermined area within a building, comprising:

means for providing access to a database of full reconstruction-pricing data based on builder-supplied full reconstruction-price data, the full reconstruction-pricing data being expressed as a plurality of per-unit-area pricing data accessible according to geographic location and/or type of building area selected from a predetermined plurality of building-area types within a building;

means for providing geographic-location data indicating a geographic location of a predetermined building;

means for providing building area-type data for a designated area within the building, the building area-type data being selected from the predetermined plurality of building-area types;

means for obtaining corresponding per-unit-area pricing data for the designated area from the database, the corresponding per-unit-area pricing data corresponding to the geographic-location data and the building area-type data; and

means for producing a reconstruction-cost estimate for the designated area based on the corresponding per-unit-area pricing data and a size value for the designated area.