Dallas-Fort Worth
Corporate campuses, tilt-wall distribution centers, data centers and master-planned residential across Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties: our home market.
Texas, Our Home Base
Construction Estimating Services in Texas
Priced from Plano for every Texas market, from DFW towers to Gulf Coast windstorm work.
Texas builds at a pace few states match, and its markets don't price alike. A tilt-wall warehouse in North Fort Worth, a mid-rise in Austin and a restaurant in Corpus Christi share a state line, not a cost structure. Labor availability, soil conditions, wind design and how sales tax lands on your materials all change from one county to the next.
Prime Estimation is headquartered at 5601 Palisades Drive in Plano. Our estimators produce bid-ready construction estimates and quantity takeoffs for general contractors, subcontractors, developers and builders across Texas: priced to the project's ZIP code and typically delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
Plano HQ5601 Palisades Drive, TX 75074
14 coastal countiesTDI windstorm scope priced as drawn
Gov't Code Ch. 2258Public works prevailing wage
IRC + IBCStatewide municipal baseline codes
Where We Work in Texas
The Texas Construction Market
Four metros carry most of the state's commercial volume, but steady growth runs through their suburban rings, the Gulf Coast industrial belt and the I-35 corridor in between. We price each to its own labor pool and supply chain.
Houston
Industrial and petrochemical work along the Ship Channel, healthcare construction around the Texas Medical Center, and high-volume suburban residential.
Austin
Office and mixed-use towers in the core, semiconductor and advanced manufacturing in surrounding counties, and dense single-family and multifamily growth.
San Antonio
Military and federal work tied to Joint Base San Antonio, healthcare, and expanding residential on the city's north and west sides.
Gulf Coast
Corpus Christi, Beaumont, Galveston and Brownsville: port, industrial and coastal construction built to windstorm requirements.
West & Rural Texas
El Paso, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa and rural job sites, priced to local labor availability and haul distances rather than metro rates.
Local Pricing
What Drives Construction Costs in Texas
These are the Texas-specific conditions we look for on the drawings and carry into the line items, not into a blanket contingency.
Expansive clay soils
Much of North and Central Texas sits on high-plasticity clay that shrinks and swells with moisture. Engineered fill, moisture conditioning, drilled piers and post-tensioned slabs appear on the structural sheets, and in our concrete and sitework quantities.
Coastal windstorm design
In the 14 first-tier coastal counties and parts of Harris County, buildings need TDI windstorm certification for TWIA coverage. Impact-rated openings, upgraded roof attachment and connectors are priced as drawn, never assumed away.
How sales tax hits materials
Texas treats lump-sum and separated contracts differently: under a lump-sum contract the contractor pays tax on materials as the consumer, while a separated contract lets materials be billed to the customer with tax. We price tax to match how your contract is written.
Labor market and heat
Open-shop labor dominates, but skilled trades are stretched in the fastest-growing metros. Summer heat shapes concrete placement windows, work hours and productivity, and we reflect it in labor units.
City-by-city code amendments
State law sets the IRC and IBC as the baseline for cities, but Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio adopt their own editions and local amendments. Unincorporated county sites can carry different requirements again.
Distance and logistics
Remote West Texas and Panhandle sites carry delivery charges, mobilization and per diem that a metro unit price never includes. We price the trip, not just the material.
Compliance
Texas Codes, Wage Rules and Taxes in Your Estimate
The requirements that most often change a Texas number, and how each one shows up in the work we deliver.
| Requirement | What it means | How we handle it |
|---|---|---|
| Prevailing wage: Gov't Code Ch. 2258 | Cities, counties, school districts and state agencies must set and require prevailing wage rates on public works. | Labor priced to the wage rates published in the bid documents. |
| Federal work: Davis-Bacon | Federally funded projects use U.S. Department of Labor wage determinations by county and classification. | The correct county determination applied to each trade. |
| Windstorm: TDI / TWIA | Coastal buildings must be built and certified to windstorm standards to qualify for TWIA insurance. | Wind-rated assemblies, fasteners and inspections carried as drawn. |
| Building codes: Local Gov't Code §214 | The IRC and IBC are adopted as minimum municipal codes; cities may adopt newer editions and amendments. | Takeoff follows the edition and amendments of the permitting jurisdiction. |
| Trade licensing | Texas has no statewide general contractor license, but electrical, plumbing and HVAC work must be done by state-licensed trades. | MEP labor priced at licensed-trade rates. |
| Sales tax on materials | Lump-sum and separated contracts carry different tax treatment for materials. | Tax carried or excluded to match your contract type. |
What We Do
Estimating Services We Provide in Texas
Full project estimates or a single trade: every one priced to the project's location and checked by a second estimator.
Project Estimates & Takeoffs
Complete estimates and quantity takeoffs for Texas projects.
- Commercial EstimatingRetail, office, restaurants, warehouses and TI work→
- Residential EstimatingCustom homes, multi-family, additions and remodels→
- Industrial EstimatingPlants, processing facilities and distribution centers→
- Material TakeoffOrder-ready quantities by CSI division→
- Construction TakeoffSingle-trade or full-project takeoffs with marked-up plans→
Trade Estimating
One division measured in depth, in the units your trade bids in.
How It Works
Send Your Plans →
From Texas Plans to a Bid-Ready Number
Everything happens from your digital drawings, so distance never slows the job down.
- 01
Send Plans & Location
Upload the drawings, specs and addenda, and give us the project address or ZIP code and your bid date.
- 02
Fixed Quote & Date
We review the set and reply (usually within a few hours) with a fixed fee and a delivery date. Nothing starts until you approve.
- 03
Takeoff, Local Pricing, Review
Quantities are measured digitally, priced to Texas material and labor conditions, and audited by a second estimator.
- 04
Delivery & Addenda
Excel and PDF with marked-up drawings and a written assumptions page, typically in 24 to 48 hours. Addenda are worked into the same file.
FAQ
Texas Estimating Questions
Do you have an office in Texas?
Yes. Prime Estimation LLC is registered in Texas and our office is at 5601 Palisades Drive, Plano, TX 75074. We estimate projects across the state, and most clients work with us entirely online.
Can you estimate windstorm-certified projects on the Texas coast?
Yes. We take off and price the wind-rated openings, roof attachment, connectors and inspection requirements shown on drawings for the 14 first-tier coastal counties and the covered parts of Harris County.
How do you handle Texas sales tax in an estimate?
We price it to match your contract. On lump-sum work, tax on materials is carried as part of your cost; on separated contracts it can be shown as a separate line billed to the customer. Tell us which applies and we set the estimate up that way.
Do you price public projects with prevailing wage?
Yes. Texas public bodies publish prevailing wage rates under Government Code Chapter 2258, and federally funded projects use Davis-Bacon determinations. We price labor against whichever schedule is in your bid documents.
How fast can you turn around a Texas bid?
Most estimates are delivered in 24 to 48 hours, and single-trade takeoffs often within 24 hours. You get a fixed fee and a confirmed delivery date, usually within a few hours of sending your plans.
Ready to Get Started?
Pricing a Texas Project?
Send your drawings and the project ZIP code. You'll have a fixed fee and a delivery date back from our Plano team, usually within a few hours.
Service Areas
Other Locations We Serve
We estimate projects in all 50 states. These are the areas with their own pages; see all service areas.