DIY Cost Myths: What Popular Sites Get Wrong

DoItYourself.com is a long-running, useful DIY resource. But some of its cost articles quote figures that run well below current sourced ranges. Below, we quote each claim, link to the page, and compare it with the figure we cite. We read the claims on 2026-10-14. These articles show no visible price date, so they may simply be older. We're not accusing anyone of bad faith. Prices have moved.

Myth 1: “A standard wood shed costs around $20 per square foot”

Claim: “For a standard wood shed, you’ll likely be looking at costs around $20 per square foot,” so a 10x10 costs $2,000 and a 12x12 costs $2,880 (DoItYourself.com, How Much Does It Cost to Build a Shed?).

Sourced 2026 figure: site-built wood sheds run $40–$100 per sq ft (EstimationPro AI shed cost data, 2026, as of 2026-10-14). That puts a 10x10 at $4,000–$10,000. Prefab kits run $18–$55 per sq ft (same source), so $20 is only realistic for a basic kit at the low end. See our shed cost guide.

Myth 2: “Composite decking costs $20–$38 per square foot installed”

Claim: “Per square foot of finished decking, composite costs between $20 to $38 per square foot,” with pressure-treated wood at $15–$25 (DoItYourself.com, How Much Does a 12x12 Composite Deck Cost?).

Sourced 2026 figure: installed composite runs $40–$80 per sq ft and pressure-treated $25–$50. These are HomeGuide figures (Feb 2026) compiled by RoofToYard, as of 2026-10-14. Some other sources run lower, as noted in our deck calculator. Their $20–$38 composite range sits entirely below the low end of the HomeGuide range.

Myth 3: roofing material quoted “per square foot” at $100–$150

Claim: asphalt shingles “cost, on average, $100 to $150 per square foot for materials,” and pro labor costs “$150 to over $300 per square foot” (DoItYourself.com, Can I Replace a Roof Myself?).

What's going on: this looks like a unit mix-up. The figures make sense per roofing square (100 sq ft), not per square foot. Taken literally, a 2,000 sq ft roof would cost $200,000+ in shingles alone. Installed asphalt runs $500–$800 per square (The Roofing Brief), and the national average replacement is about $16,297, or $6.26/sq ft (Instant Roofer), both as of 2026-10-14. See our roof cost guide.

How to spot stale cost figures

• Look for a price date. Our pages give the date every figure was checked.
• Check the units: per sq ft, per square (100 sq ft) and per linear ft are easy to mix up.
• Check whether the figure covers materials only or is installed.

Note: DoItYourself.com blocks automated fetching. We took these quotations from indexed copies of the pages on 2026-10-14. If a page has since been updated, tell us via the About page and we'll revise this article.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-14. Prices are national planning ranges; get local quotes.