Miami-Dade · Broward · Palm Beach
Construction estimating services in Miami
Takeoffs and priced estimates for South Florida general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, with hurricane-zone scope taken off exactly as the drawings call for it.
- Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
- Hurricane-zone scope
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
Estimating in Miami at a glance
MassBid Estimation prepares quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for construction projects across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. 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 South Florida work includes a fire station's concrete and block, the steel for a retail store addition in Miami-Dade and the plumbing for a three-story apartment building.
- Area covered
- Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties
- Recent South Florida work
- Fire station concrete and block, retail addition steel, apartment plumbing
- Miami cost drivers
- The high-velocity hurricane zone, impact openings, block-and-concrete structure, flood elevation
- Code
- Florida Building Code, with product approval required in Miami-Dade and Broward
- 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
Miami-Dade · Bid week
In Miami every window, door and roof panel needs paperwork. The paperwork has a price.
Miami-Dade and Broward are the high-velocity hurricane zone, the strictest wind region in the country. Products installed on the outside of a building there must be approved for that zone, and approved products cost more.
The structure is different too. South Florida builds in concrete block, tie beams and poured columns where the rest of the country frames. Four things decide whether a Miami estimate holds.
Four things a Miami estimate has to get right
01 · The approval
Hurricane-zone products
Roofing, windows, doors, storefront, louvers and shutters all need approval for the high-velocity zone. A standard product priced in their place is a change order waiting to happen.
What changes
Assemblies are taken off as specified, and lines needing an approved product are identified.
02 · The block
Block, grout and tie beams
On a South Florida fire station we estimated, masonry was $326,784 and concrete $519,881. The block is half the story; the filled cells, vertical bars and tie beams are the rest.
What changes
Block, grout, reinforcing and tie beams are each calculated, not carried in one wall rate.
03 · The salt
Corrosion and concrete repair
Salt air attacks reinforcing and steel. Coastal buildings carry heavier coatings, stainless or galvanized connectors, and a steady stream of concrete restoration work.
What changes
Coatings and protection are priced as specified, and repair quantities are measured from the engineer's survey.
04 · The water
Flood elevation and a high water table
Much of the region is a few feet above sea level. Raised floors, fill, dewatering and floodproofing add cost below the slab.
What changes
Fill, stem walls and site work are measured from the civil and structural drawings.
South Florida submarkets
South Florida, priced county by county
Three counties, two of them inside the high-velocity hurricane zone.
Miami-Dade
Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Doral and Homestead: condominium towers, retail, hospitality and concrete restoration, all inside the high-velocity hurricane zone.
Broward
Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Coral Springs and Pembroke Pines: healthcare, schools, marine and multifamily work, also inside the zone.
Palm Beach County
West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Jupiter: public safety buildings, luxury residential and medical.
The western communities
Belle Glade, Wellington and the edge of the Everglades: affordable housing, schools and agricultural buildings.
Real South Florida work
Sample takeoffs from South Florida projects
Pages from finished jobs in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Client names, addresses and title blocks are removed; the quantities are as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.
Retail addition
Steel roof framing takeoff for a Miami-Dade retail addition
Protects you fromConnections left out of the tonnage.
Fire station
Concrete and block takeoff for a Palm Beach County fire station
Protects you fromBlock counted without its grout and steel.
Priced estimate
Priced concrete estimate for the same fire station
Protects you fromA lump sum per cubic yard.
Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, so yours may be laid out differently. To see a past project in your own trade, ask for an example. Examples are finished work for other projects, not an estimate of yours; for pricing on your own job, send your Miami drawings for a free quote.
Real South Florida figures
What recent South Florida projects cost, by trade
Trade costs from estimates we delivered on three South Florida projects.
A small steel addition costs far more per square foot than a large building: the retail addition's steel was $31.17 per square foot, while plumbing across a whole three-story apartment building was $28.56.
Figures are trade cost before general requirements and markups, from the delivered estimates. Per-square-foot figures are per square foot of building. 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.
| South Florida project and trade | Cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment building, Palm Beach County, 30,900 sq ft: plumbing | $882,592 | $28.56 |
| Fire station, Palm Beach County, 14,200 sq ft: concrete | $519,881 | $36.52 |
| Fire station, Palm Beach County: masonry | $326,784 | $22.95 |
| Retail addition, Miami-Dade, 5,155 sq ft: structural steel | $160,679 | $31.17 |
Published market ranges
What building in Miami costs per square foot
For whole buildings, these are the published ranges for Miami, where the same report shows costs rising about 5% a year.
These are a cost consultant's published ranges for whole buildings, not our estimates. They are useful for checking a budget; a bid still needs quantities measured from the drawings.
Hard construction cost per square foot of gross floor area, second quarter of 2026. Ranges vary with site conditions, specification and market conditions.
Source: Rider Levett Bucknall, North America Quarterly Construction Cost Report, Q2 2026
| Building type | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Office, prime | $260 | $445 |
| Office, secondary | $170 | $240 |
| Retail, strip center | $185 | $285 |
| Hotel, three-star | $325 | $430 |
| Hospital | $505 | $715 |
| Warehouse | $80 | $155 |
| Multifamily residential | $190 | $290 |
| Single-family residential | $200 | $540 |
| Elementary school | $295 | $415 |
| High school | $325 | $505 |
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Structural and miscellaneous steel, from a finished job: a retail store addition, 5,155 sq ft in Florida. 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 places
What South Florida contractors send us most
Concrete and block
Footings, slabs, tie beams and block walls with grout and steel.
Concrete estimatingStructural steel
Beams, deck, lintels and connections by weight.
Steel estimatingPlumbing
Pipe by size and every fixture, floor by floor.
Plumbing estimatingImpact glazing
Storefront, windows and doors by mark and glass type.
Glazing estimating
South Florida places we price
- Miami
- Fort Lauderdale
- West Palm Beach
- Hialeah
- Coral Springs
- Boca Raton
- Miami Beach
- Coral Gables
- Doral
- Homestead
- Hollywood
- Pembroke Pines
- Pompano Beach
- Delray Beach
- Belle Glade
- Jupiter
Pricing data
How a Miami 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 Miami.
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 Miami 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 Miami 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.
Every job is quoted individually from the drawings, and the quote is free. See all pricing
After delivery
An editable Excel workbook and 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
Free revisions, with no limit
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
Miami construction estimating FAQ
Yes. We price projects in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Hialeah and Boca Raton, each to its own ZIP code.
Rider Levett Bucknall's second quarter 2026 report puts Miami at $190 to $290 per square foot for multifamily, $260 to $445 for prime offices, $325 to $430 for three-star hotels and $80 to $155 for warehouses. On South Florida jobs we estimated, concrete for a fire station was $36.52 per square foot and plumbing for an apartment building $28.56.
It is Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have the strictest wind requirements in the Florida Building Code. Exterior products installed there need approval for that zone, which raises the price of roofing, windows, doors and storefront.
Yes. Block is measured by thickness and height, with grout in the filled cells, vertical bars, joint reinforcement and tie beams calculated. On one fire station, masonry came to $326,784.
Yes. For a 5,155 square foot retail addition in Miami-Dade we listed every beam, lintel, angle and connection plate with the roof deck; steel came to $160,679, or $31.17 per square foot.
Yes. Each opening carries the glazing type from the schedule, with impact-rated units on their own lines.
Yes, from the engineer's repair drawings or survey: spall repair by area and depth, crack injection by length, and coatings by area.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (structural and miscellaneous steel, for a retail store addition, 5,155 sq ft in Florida), which you can open full screen and read page by page. 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 Miami, 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. The quote is free and usually comes back in about 20 minutes.
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.
Other cities and services
Bidding a Miami project? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, priced to the project's South Florida ZIP code and built to your format, with free revisions with no limit.