tool disclaimer

This page covers every interactive tool on this site (currently: "does this site pencil?", "the bedroom that costs $200,000", "how many homes fit on this lot now", and the single-stair floor plate study). Each one links here, and using any of them means you have read and accepted this page.

What these are

Small calculators I built to make a piece of Austin development math or code visible in thirty seconds - a yield-on-cost check, a utility capacity cliff, a HOME-amendment unit count, a floor-plate comparison. Each one shows its formulas in the open, cites a source for every rule it applies, and marks every number it could not verify as an assumption.

What these are not

Not architectural, engineering, legal, financial, or tax advice. Not a substitute for a licensed architect, a licensed engineer, an attorney, an accountant, a general contractor, or the relevant utility or building department's own determination on your actual project. Not a construction document, a pro forma, an appraisal, or anything a lender, buyer, or jurisdiction should rely on. I am not a licensed architect.

Every default is a placeholder

Every number a tool loads with - lot dimensions, costs, rents, fixture counts, code figures - is a stated assumption, not a fact about your site. Ordinances change, utilities size service by their own criteria and issue their own letters, and code citations on this site may be outdated, misread, or specific to a jurisdiction other than yours. Where a figure could not be verified against a primary source, the tool says so on the card next to it. Read those notes - they are not boilerplate, they are the actual state of each number.

No warranty, and the risk is yours

These tools are provided for informational and educational purposes only, "as is" and "as available," with no warranty of any kind, express or implied - including no warranty of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or that any result will match what a licensed professional, a utility, or a jurisdiction will actually tell you. You assume all risk of using any of these tools and of any decision, expenditure, design, or agreement you make in reliance on them. To the fullest extent the law allows, I disclaim all liability for any loss or damage - direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential - arising from use of, or inability to use, these tools, including reliance on a pro forma, a unit count, a cost estimate, or a code reading generated here.

Before you rely on any of it

Verify independently: a licensed architect or engineer for anything about design, structure, or code compliance; an attorney for anything with legal consequence; an accountant or your own financial advisor for anything financial; and the specific utility or City of Austin department (or the equivalent in your own jurisdiction - see the note on location on the Tools page) for anything about capacity, permitting, or code as applied to your actual site.

Questions

If something on a tool looks wrong, I want to know - [email protected]. That does not change anything above; it is how the tools get better.

Last revised 2026-09-24. This is a plain-language disclaimer I wrote myself, not legal advice, and it has not been reviewed by an attorney.