Pricing
How our estimating fees work.
Estimating and takeoff work is billed at $180–$250 per hour, depending on project complexity. You confirm the fee for your scope before any work starts.
$180–$250 per hour, by complexity
Fee confirmed before work starts
Typically 1–2 business days
Rate
$180–$250 per hour
The rate depends on project complexity. Your quote turns it into a fee and a delivery date for your scope.
- 01
Quote within 30 minutes during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8 am–5 pm PT)
- 02
Fee and delivery date confirmed together
- 03
Excel and PDF deliverables included
Complexity
What sets the rate.
The same drawing set can take very different time depending on these factors. We look at them before we quote.
How many trades and CSI divisions are in scope
The number of drawing sheets and how dense they are
Whether you need a budget figure or a bid-ready, line-item estimate
How complete the drawings are, and how much has to be clarified or assumed
Addenda and revisions issued during the bid
How soon you need it
Deliverables
What the fee includes.
- Bid summary priced by CSI division, with material, labor, profit, contingency and sales tax
- Detailed estimate: each line with quantity, unit, waste factor, material and labor cost and man-hours
- Drawing sheet and detail reference on each line
- Marked-up PDF of the drawings from PlanSwift, showing what was measured
- Assumed items labelled on their line
- Excel and PDF files
Turnaround
Typically 1–2 business days.
Larger or more complex drawing sets can take 7–15 days. The delivery date is confirmed with the fee, before any work starts.
Questions contractors ask about fees
How much does a construction estimate cost?
How do you set the fee for my project?
What makes a project more complex?
How long will it take?
What do I get for the fee?
Get a quote
Send the drawings for a fee and a date.
Send your drawings, the scope and the bid date. We reply with the fee and the delivery date within 30 minutes during business hours.