A construction cost estimate answers one question: what will this cost to build?, but the answer means different things to different people. A contractor needs a number they can bid and still make money on. An owner needs a budget they can finance and defend. An architect needs to know whether the design fits the money.
We prepare construction cost estimates for all three. Each one starts from the same discipline: measure what's on the drawings, price it for the project's location, and state clearly what's included and what isn't.
Every reliable estimate is built from the same layers. Knowing them helps you read any estimate: ours or someone else's.
The cost of the work itself:
Costs to run the project that don't belong to a single trade: supervision, temporary facilities, site utilities, safety, cleanup, permits, testing, bonds, and insurance.
Company overhead (the office, staff, and systems that support all your jobs) and profit.
An allowance for risk that can't be priced line by line yet: design gaps, unknown site conditions, or scope still being decided. Contingency usually shrinks as the design develops.
If construction starts months or years after the estimate, material and labor prices will move. Escalation adjusts today's prices to the expected midpoint of construction.
An estimate that only shows direct costs isn't wrong, but it isn't complete. We label each layer so you can see which parts are yours to adjust.
Every item is measured and priced individually: cubic yards of concrete, square feet of drywall, linear feet of conduit. This is the method for bids and for any estimate where accuracy matters most. It requires reasonably complete drawings.
Costs are built from assemblies, for example, a priced square foot of an exterior wall including studs, sheathing, insulation, and cladding. Useful in design development, when you're comparing systems but the details aren't finished.
Costs are based on building area or another driver, adjusted for type, quality, and location. Fast and useful for feasibility and early budgets, but not precise enough to bid.
Most projects move from parametric to assemblies to unit-cost as the design develops. We'll recommend the method that matches your drawings and your decision. Preliminary estimating →
General contractors and subcontractors use our estimates to bid more work without adding staff:
with full quantity takeoffs and pricing by CSI division
for subcontractors in a single scope
for ordering and supplier pricing
for added or deleted scope
Owners and design teams use cost estimates to make decisions before money is committed:
to test whether a project works
at schematic, design development, and construction document stages
for financing and approvals Budget estimating →
to check a contractor's bid or change order
options with priced alternatives
Start with the service that matches your project:
No estimate is exact. These factors decide how close it gets:
Missing details become allowances; allowances carry uncertainty.
"Or equal" products and vague performance specs can swing material costs.
National averages miss regional labor rates, taxes, and supplier markets. We price to the project's zip code.
Prevailing wage, union rules, and labor availability change labor cost significantly.
Rock, groundwater, access, and existing structures add cost that drawings may not show.
The further out the start date, the more escalation matters.
We list assumptions and exclusions in every estimate so you can see where uncertainty sits.
Residential, multifamily, commercial, institutional, industrial, and civil/site projects: new construction, additions, renovations, and tenant improvements.
Drawings, specifications, addenda, project location, and your deadline. Early-stage projects can send sketches or a written description.
We review the documents and confirm the fee and delivery date.
Expect questions about site conditions, labor requirements, and scope.
Once you have it, we can update for addenda, sub quotes, or design changes.
It depends on how complete the design is. Early estimates from concepts or square footage carry a wide range; detailed estimates from construction documents are much tighter. AACE International's estimate classification system is a common reference for matching expected accuracy to design stage.
Professional estimating firms usually price per project based on size, complexity, and the number of trades. We quote a fixed fee after reviewing your documents.
An estimate is a forecast of what the work should cost. A quote or bid is a contractor's offer to do the work at a price. Contractors use estimates to prepare their bids; owners use estimates to judge whether bids are reasonable.
We price materials and labor for the project's location rather than relying on national averages alone.
Yes, for early decisions. With a description, sketch, or program, we can prepare a conceptual estimate. It will carry wider ranges and clearly stated assumptions.
Send your drawings or project details, tell us what decision the estimate needs to support, and we'll quote the fee and delivery date.
