Remodeling and renovation estimating services

New construction is priced from drawings that describe everything. A remodel is priced from drawings that describe only the change, so demolition, protection of what remains, patching, working in an occupied building and unknown existing conditions all have to be added. Those items often decide whether the job makes money.

Yes. Each item to be removed is measured or counted from the demolition plan: partitions by length and height, ceilings and flooring by area, doors, casework and fixtures by count. Items to remain, protect or relocate are listed separately.

An estimate can only price what the drawings and photos show. Where existing conditions are unknown, the estimate states the assumption it was priced on, or carries an allowance and says so. Hazardous material abatement and concealed structural repair are excluded unless they are on the drawings.

It varies widely with the use and the size of the space. On one 1,375 square foot restaurant fit-out we estimated, trade cost was $188.20 per square foot before markups, with mechanical, electrical and plumbing about 38 percent of the total. Small spaces with kitchens and restrooms cost far more per square foot than large open offices.

A single trade starts at $199, and simple scopes typically run $100 to $250. A whole remodel or fit-out typically runs $200 to $500, and large or complex renovations are quoted individually. The quote is free and usually comes back in about 20 minutes.

A measured takeoff needs scaled drawings. If you have only photos and a sketch with dimensions, a budget can be prepared from those with the assumptions written down, and tightened once drawings exist.

Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (office alteration estimate, for a first-floor office, 1,580 sq ft in Washington DC), 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 market, 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.

Yes. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification. Send your template, cost codes or the landlord's or franchise's bid form and the package is returned in that format.

Because a remodeler's hours are spent on site, and renovation takeoffs are slow: two sets of plans, demolition and new, have to be read against each other. Outsourcing gives a contractor a checked, line-by-line estimate in a day or two without giving up evenings to it.