Chicago · Collar counties · Rockford · Peoria · Springfield · Metro East
Construction estimating services in Illinois
Takeoffs and priced estimates for Illinois general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, from Chicago and its suburbs to downstate, priced to the ZIP code the job is built in.
- Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, Peoria
- Priced by ZIP code
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
Estimating in Illinois at a glance
MassBid Estimation prepares quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for construction projects across Illinois. Every trade on the drawings is measured, priced to the project's ZIP code and checked twice, and the package is typically delivered in 24 to 48 hours. Recent Illinois work includes a full interior renovation for a salon and spa in the northwest suburbs, roofing for a dual-brand hotel, demolition for an apartment conversion and roof work on a fitness center.
- Markets
- Chicago, the collar counties, Rockford and northern Illinois, Peoria and Central Illinois, Metro East
- Recent Illinois work
- Salon and spa renovation, hotel roofing, apartment conversion demolition, fitness center roof work
- Illinois cost drivers
- Union labor around Chicago, prevailing wage on public work, deep frost, winter conditions
- Licensing
- Roofing and plumbing are licensed by the state; general contractors are licensed locally
- Turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours on most projects
- Checked by
- A separate QA team, twice on every job
- Team
- 20+ in-house estimators, typically 7 to 10 years in the trade
- Quote
- Free, usually back in about 20 minutes
Northwest suburbs · Bid week
Around Chicago, labor is the estimate.
The Chicago area is one of the strongest union construction markets in the country. On an interior job, labor can outweigh material several times over, and the rate changes by trade and by county.
The climate does the rest: footings below a deep frost line, roofs built for snow, and a season that is shorter than the schedule wants. Four things decide whether an Illinois estimate holds.
Four things an Illinois estimate has to get right
01 · The labor
Union rates by trade and county
Carpenters, laborers, electricians and roofers each have their own wage and fringe package, and Cook County is not Winnebago County.
What changes
Labor is priced as union, open shop or prevailing wage for the trade and the place, with fringes added.
02 · The interior
Renovation priced trade by trade
An 8,020 square foot salon and spa renovation we estimated came to $102.17 per square foot in trade cost. A single allowance per square foot would have hidden where that money went.
What changes
Each trade gets its own sheet: demolition, carpentry, finishes, plumbing, mechanical and electrical.
03 · The roof
Roofing by assembly
A hotel roof is membrane, insulation, flashing, coping and curbs, each with its own unit. Pricing it by area alone misses the edges.
What changes
Roof area, perimeter, penetrations and sheet metal are measured separately.
04 · The frost
Deep footings and winter work
Foundations go below a deep frost line, and concrete and masonry placed in winter need heat and protection.
What changes
Excavation and concrete follow the foundation drawings, and winter protection is listed when the schedule needs it.
Illinois markets
Four Illinois markets, priced separately
Each prices on its own labor and supplier base.
Chicago
High-rise, renovation, healthcare, university and public work inside the city, under Chicago's own construction codes.
The collar counties
DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will and McHenry: offices, retail, hotels, apartments, warehouses and conversions.
Rockford and northern Illinois
Manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and university work from Rockford to DeKalb.
Central Illinois and Metro East
Peoria, Springfield, Champaign, Bloomington and the Illinois side of the St. Louis area.
Real Illinois figures
What recent Illinois projects cost, by trade
Trade costs from estimates we delivered on Illinois projects.
The salon and spa renovation is a full general contractor estimate, every trade on the drawings. The hotel roof is one trade on a much larger building.
Figures are trade cost before overhead, profit, contingency and tax, from the delivered estimates. Per-square-foot figures are per square foot of building, or of site for site work. They are specific to those projects and are not a price guide.
Real jobs, not a price list. Each figure comes from one project, priced for its own ZIP code and that client's wages, overhead and profit. Prices change by region and over time. Yours will be priced for your location.
| Illinois project and trade | Cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Salon and spa interior renovation, northwest suburbs, 8,020 sq ft: all trades | $819,430 | $102.17 |
| Dual-brand hotel, northern Illinois, 67,400 sq ft: roofing | $276,069 | $4.10 |
| Fitness center, south suburbs: roof work | $27,066 |
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
We do not have a sample for exactly this scope online yet. This is the closest one. Roofing and sheet metal, from a finished job: a drive-through building in Oklahoma. Open it full screen, scroll through all 3 pages and zoom in on any line.
This is one real job, shown as an example. It was built to that client's own specification: their wage rates, labor style, type of pricing, and overhead and profit. Prices also change by region and over time, so yours will be priced for your location.
Want a current sample in your own trade or specialty, or have a question? Use the contact form, email [email protected] or call (832) 356-4237.
Trades and cities
Services with Illinois work to show
Renovation and fit-out
The salon and spa, trade by trade.
Remodeling estimatingRoofing
A hotel roof by assembly, with flashing and coping.
Roofing estimatingDemolition
A building stripped for conversion to apartments.
Demolition estimatingWhole-building estimates
Every trade on the drawings for general contractors.
GC estimating
Illinois cities we price
- Chicago
- Aurora
- Naperville
- Joliet
- Rockford
- Elgin
- Schaumburg
- Evanston
- Arlington Heights
- Oak Brook
- Waukegan
- Cicero
- Peoria
- Springfield
- Champaign
- Bloomington
- DeKalb
- Matteson
- Decatur
- Belleville
Pricing data
How a Illinois project is priced
Quantities are priced from our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. The estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that part of Illinois.
Material prices change from region to region and from month to month, so a price book or a national average is out of date before the bid goes in.
Priced by ZIP code
Current local material prices for the place the job is built, not a national average.
Updated by vendors
Local vendors update their prices in the database as they change.
Labor as you bid it
Union, open shop, or Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage rates with fringes.
How it works
From Illinois drawings to a finished estimate
Send the drawings
Plans, specifications and addenda, with the project address or ZIP code, the bid date and any bid form or template you have to fill in.
Free quote
We review the set and reply with a quote and a delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.
Takeoff, pricing and two QA reviews
Quantities are measured on the drawings and priced to the project's ZIP code. A separate QA team checks the quantities against the plans, then the priced estimate.
Delivery and revisions
The package typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours. Addenda and revisions are free, with no limit and no time limit, and are handled on priority.
The work is done in-house by more than 20 estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience.
What it costs
Estimating prices for Illinois projects
- Single project
- From $199. Simple scopes typically run $100 to $250.
- Larger buildings
- Typically $200 to $500. Large or multi-building projects are quoted individually.
- Monthly plan
- From $1,499 for 10 to 15 projects, for contractors who bid every week.
Illinois contractors who do not keep a full-time estimator use us for outsourced estimating: send the drawings when a bid comes up and pay per project.
Every job is quoted individually from the drawings, and the quote is free. See all pricing
After delivery
An editable Excel estimate workbook and unlimited free revisions
- Formulas built in
An Excel workbook you can change yourself
The estimate arrives as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change a quantity, a rate or a markup and every total follows. Move overhead and profit from 25% to 30% and the whole bid recalculates on the spot.
- No waiting
Adjust your bid at the last minute
If something changes just before the deadline, you do not have to send the estimate back and wait. Open the workbook, change the number and submit. The control stays with you.
- Priority turnaround
Unlimited free revisions
Addenda, scope changes and pricing updates are all free, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and typically come back within an hour to a few hours.
Questions
Illinois construction estimating FAQ
Yes. We estimate projects in Chicago, the suburbs, Rockford, Peoria, Springfield, Champaign and the rest of the state, each priced to the project's ZIP code.
On an 8,020 square foot salon and spa renovation in the northwest suburbs that we estimated, trade cost for all trades was $819,430, or $102.17 per square foot before overhead, profit, contingency and tax.
On a 67,400 square foot dual-brand hotel in northern Illinois, roofing trade cost was $276,069, or $4.10 per square foot of building. The figure per square foot of roof is higher, because a multi-story building has less roof than floor area.
Yes. Labor is priced as union, open shop or prevailing wage, whichever the job calls for, with fringe benefits added. Public works in Illinois carry prevailing wages, and federal projects carry Davis-Bacon rates.
Not at state level. Roofing and plumbing contractors are licensed by the state, and general contractors are licensed or registered by the city or county. It does not change the estimate, but it shapes who bids which scope.
Yes. Labor and material are priced to the ZIP code, so a Chicago project and one in Central Illinois carry different rates.
Both. General contractors get every trade on the drawings; subcontractors get their own trade isolated and returned in the general contractor's format. Suppliers get quantities only.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (roofing and sheet metal, for a drive-through building in Oklahoma), which you can open full screen and read page by page. It is the closest sample we have online for this scope. It was built to that client's own specification, so the wage rates, pricing and overhead and profit are theirs. Ask us for a current sample in your own trade.
From our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. An estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that part of Illinois, and vendors update their prices as they change. Labor is priced as union or open shop, or at Davis-Bacon rates with fringes on government work.
Yes. The estimate is delivered as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change any quantity, rate or markup and the whole estimate recalculates. If overhead and profit was set at 25% and you want 30%, change that one cell and every total updates, so you can adjust your number minutes before the bid is due without sending it back to us.
As many as you need. Every revision is free, including addenda, scope changes and pricing updates, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and are typically returned within an hour to a few hours, depending on the size of the change.
Most packages are delivered in 24 to 48 hours, depending on the size, scope and complexity of the job. The quote is free, usually comes back in about 20 minutes, and states the exact delivery time.
A single project starts at $199, and simple scopes typically run $100 to $250. Larger buildings typically run $200 to $500. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, and revisions are free.
Other service areas and services
Bidding an Illinois project? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, priced to the project's Illinois ZIP code and built to your format, with free revisions with no limit.