Home addition cost in Burlington, VT

What nearby projects cost in Burlington

Because every project leans on different trades, Burlington's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, roof replacement runs +3% and kitchen remodel −1%.

Climate in Burlington: timing your home addition job

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Burlington Intl Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

April through October is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Burlington (7 of 12 months). January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).

In January, February, March, November and December the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 145 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.

Burlington gets about 38 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 88 inches of snow. The wettest months are June, July and October (4.3 inches in June). Inside the workable window, April and August are the driest, at 3.1 and 3.5 inches. The station averages about 8 days a year at 90°F or above.

Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.

Is Burlington cheap or dear? The local comparison

Of the five closest metros, 3 are cheaper than Burlington. Manchester is the lowest at about $58,100 (midpoint, 300 sq ft), 140 miles away.

Across 300 US metros, Burlington comes in at #92 from the top. The priciest is Honolulu, HI at $79,600; the cheapest is Brownsville, TX at $44,300 (midpoints, 300 sq ft). Statewide, Burlington is 2% above the Vermont figure.

Burlington is the only Vermont metro we cover, so the statewide page is the only in-state comparison. It uses statewide wages, which include rural areas.

Cities with a workforce like Burlington's

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Burlington against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Burlington: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Burlington wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.

Home addition: what moves the price in Burlington

• Permits

  Construction permits run $500-$2,000, or $5-$21 per $1,000 of project cost (HomeGuide).

• Foundation

  A foundation, framing, roofing and matching exterior finishes all have to be built before the interior work starts.

• Type of addition

  A new room is $125-$250 per sq ft; a bump-out $85-$200; an attic conversion $50-$150; a garage conversion $50-$200 (HomeGuide).

Burlington labor market for home addition

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 6 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Burlington is 1.05 times the national level.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 50%) the local median is $30.19 an hour, which is 4% above the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $25.00 and $31.59 an hour. BLS counts 900 of them working in the area, 74.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 10%) the local median is $30.06 an hour, which is 10% above the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $28.68 and $33.35 an hour. BLS counts 120 of them working in the area, 10.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is thinner than average.

Electricians (47-2111), 10% of the weighting: a median of $32.14 an hour, 6% above the US median of $30.38. The middle half of them earn between $28.21 and $37.69 an hour. About 470 work in the metro. That is 39.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 48.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

For plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (47-2152, weighted 10%) the local median is $32.43 an hour, which is 6% above the national $30.67. The middle half of them earn between $28.36 and $39.12 an hour. BLS counts 470 of them working in the area, 39.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.0), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Drywall and ceiling tile installers (47-2081), 10% of the weighting: a median of $29.57 an hour, 4% above the US median of $28.33. The middle half of them earn between $23.17 and $31.00 an hour. About 60 work in the metro. That is 5.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 5.3 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

Roofers (47-2181) carry 10% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Burlington metro, so we used the Vermont statewide median: $28.39 an hour against $26.65 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $23.44 and $29.38 an hour.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the carpenters on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($31.59 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $920. At the 25th percentile ($25.00) it shrinks by about $3,400. The total moves by 1.6% or 5.8%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 120,150 jobs in the Burlington-South Burlington area. That makes it the 182nd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.08% of US employment.