City of San Diego · North County · South Bay · East County
Construction estimating services in San Diego
Takeoffs and priced estimates for San Diego County general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, from Chula Vista to Oceanside and east to El Cajon and Escondido.
- San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Escondido
- Priced by ZIP code
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
Estimating in San Diego at a glance
MassBid Estimation prepares quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for construction projects in San Diego and the surrounding area. 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. We estimate across California, from concrete and masonry on multi-story buildings in Los Angeles to electrical work in the Bay Area, and price San Diego County projects to their own ZIP codes on the same basis.
- Area covered
- San Diego County: the city, North County, the South Bay and East County
- Our California work
- Concrete, masonry, electrical, drywall, coatings and full general contractor estimates
- San Diego cost drivers
- Prevailing wage on public and military work, Title 24 energy rules, seismic design, coastal exposure, wildfire zones
- Code
- California Building Code with Title 24, Part 6 energy standards
- 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
San Diego County · Bid week
In San Diego, the rules on the job cost as much attention as the quantities.
A large share of the work here is public or federal: Navy and Marine Corps facilities, schools, universities, transit and water projects. Those jobs set the wage a contractor must pay, and the paperwork that proves it.
Private work brings its own conditions: energy code compliance, seismic detailing, salt air on the coast and fire-resistant construction inland. Four things decide whether a San Diego estimate holds.
Four things a San Diego estimate has to get right
01 · The wages
Prevailing wage and Davis-Bacon
California public works carry state prevailing wage rates, and federal and military projects carry Davis-Bacon rates. A private-work rate underprices both.
What changes
Labor is priced at the wage determination for the job, with fringe benefits added.
02 · The structure
Seismic detailing
Hold-downs, shear walls, straps, embeds and extra reinforcing are spread across the structural sheets and are easy to under-count.
What changes
Hardware is counted by model and reinforcing is taken off by bar size from the structural drawings.
03 · The energy code
Title 24 scope
Insulation levels, glazing performance, lighting controls and solar readiness come from the energy compliance documents as well as the plans.
What changes
The takeoff follows the specified assemblies, with performance requirements noted on the line.
04 · The setting
Coast and backcountry
Near the ocean, drawings call for corrosion-resistant materials. In the hills, wildfire zones call for ignition-resistant roofs, vents and siding.
What changes
Specified materials are priced as drawn, not swapped for a standard product.
San Diego submarkets
Four parts of San Diego County, priced separately
Labor, access and conditions differ across the county.
The city and the coast
Downtown, Mission Valley, La Jolla and the beach communities: apartments, hotels, life science and renovation.
North County
Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos and Escondido: housing, business parks, schools and retail.
The South Bay
Chula Vista, National City and Otay Mesa: housing, logistics and cross-border industrial work.
East County and the bases
El Cajon, Santee and Poway, and the military installations around the county.
Real San Diego figures
What recent California projects cost, by trade
We do not yet have priced San Diego County jobs to publish, so these are trade costs from estimates we delivered elsewhere in California.
They show how we report cost by trade. A San Diego project is priced to its own ZIP code, with current local material prices and the labor rates the job requires.
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.
| San Diego project and trade | Cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-story building, Los Angeles, 8,300 sq ft: concrete | $846,899 | $102.52 |
| Multi-story building, Los Angeles: masonry | $203,474 | $24.63 |
| Wastewater treatment plant: coatings and waterproofing | $1,362,902 | |
| Retail store office fit-out, Northern California: drywall | $54,326 |
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Concrete and rebar, from a finished job: a multi-story building in California. Open it full screen, scroll through all 8 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
Services San Diego contractors ask for
Concrete and rebar
Cubic yards, pounds of rebar and formwork area.
Concrete estimatingStructural hardware
Hold-downs, straps and anchors counted by model.
Structural hardware takeoffsElectrical
Fixtures, devices, conduit and wire by type and size.
Electrical estimatingHomes and apartments
Custom homes, accessory units and multifamily buildings.
Residential estimating
Places around San Diego we price
- San Diego
- Chula Vista
- National City
- La Mesa
- El Cajon
- Santee
- Poway
- Escondido
- San Marcos
- Vista
- Carlsbad
- Oceanside
- Encinitas
- Del Mar
- Coronado
- Imperial Beach
Pricing data
How a San Diego 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 San Diego.
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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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.
San Diego 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
San Diego construction estimating FAQ
Yes. We price projects in San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Escondido, El Cajon and the rest of the county, each to its own ZIP code.
Our published California work so far is from Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Northern California. We estimate anywhere in the state on the same basis: quantities from your drawings, priced with current material prices for the project's ZIP code.
Yes. California public works are priced at the state prevailing wage determination, and federal and military projects at Davis-Bacon rates, with fringe benefits added in both cases.
The assemblies and equipment shown in the drawings and energy compliance documents are taken off as specified. We price what is drawn; we do not perform the energy calculations.
Yes. Hold-downs, straps, hangers and anchors are counted by model from the structural drawings and schedules, and can be delivered as a supplier-style list.
It depends on the building. On an 8,300 square foot multi-story building in Los Angeles that we estimated, concrete trade cost was $846,899, or $102.52 per square foot of building.
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 (concrete and rebar, for a multi-story building in California), 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 San Diego, 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 cities and services
Bidding a San Diego project? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, priced to the project's San Diego ZIP code and built to your format, with free revisions with no limit.