Radon Mitigation Cost Calculator

With the defaults, a basement home with a 2,000 sq ft footprint, a test result of 8 pCi/L, an exterior pipe run, sealing and a post-mitigation test comes to $1,475. The system itself is $1,050, sealing adds $250 and the retest adds $175.

The biggest swings come from the foundation and the routing. A garage or attic run adds $225 and an interior run adds $350, so the default job becomes $1,700 or $1,825. A dedicated electrical circuit for the fan adds $225 more. A bare system with sealing and the retest switched off lands under the minimum, so the calculator raises it to the $1,100 minimum job charge.

Real quotes also depend on access, the condition of the slab, local labor rates and the equipment used, so use the pricing section to enter the figures from a contractor and compare bids on the same footing.

Most systems use sub-slab depressurization. A suction point is cut through the slab or the floor membrane, a vent pipe is connected to it and a fan keeps the soil gas moving out and away from the house, releasing it above the roof. Pulling the gas from under the foundation helps keep it out of the living space.

How many suction points a house needs depends on how well air moves through the material under the slab. The calculator uses a simple rule of thumb: one point per 2,000 sq ft for a basement or slab, which means a 3,000 sq ft basement is priced with two points and adds $375, for $1,850. A very high reading adds one more point in the estimate. A diagnostic test by the installer decides the real number.

A crawl space is treated differently. A heavy plastic membrane covers the ground and the suction point draws from under it. The calculator prices that membrane at $1.60 per sq ft. A crawl space foundation with 1,000 sq ft of crawl space comes to $3,075 with the other defaults. A mixed foundation, with a basement or slab plus a crawl space, needs a point for each, so 2,000 sq ft of slab and 1,000 sq ft of crawl space comes to $3,450.

The EPA recommends fixing the home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher, and says to consider fixing it when the level is between 2 and 4 pCi/L. The level field in the calculator is in pCi/L, and a decimal such as 12.5 is accepted.

The level does not change the price of the system directly, apart from one thing: when it is above 20 pCi/L, the calculator adds one extra suction point. That takes the default job from $1,475 to $1,850.

Ask your installer to explain the reading, whether it came from a short-term or a long-term test and whether a second test is worth doing before you commit to a system.

Installing the system is not the end of the job. A post-mitigation test confirms the result in your own house, and the calculator includes it at $175. The result is not guaranteed, which is why testing afterwards and again from time to time matters. No estimate here promises a specific reduction in the radon level.

The fan runs all day, every day. At a typical 70 watts and $0.15 per kWh that is about $92 a year in electricity, which is a running cost this one-time estimate does not include. The calculator shows it as a separate figure.

When choosing a contractor, ask about radon certification, such as a National Radon Proficiency Program (NRPP) listing, and about local licensing rules, which vary. Ask what the quote covers: the number of suction points, the pipe routing, sealing, electrical work and the post-mitigation test.