AACE-Certified · Independent · Estimator-Led
Know your real project cost, before you commit.
Independent cost estimates, value engineering, and project controls for owners, GCs, and subcontractors, documented, defensible, and built to hold up when the numbers get challenged.
48–72h
Typical Small-Scope Turnaround
$2B+
in Project Estimating Experience
100%
Estimator-Reviewed Output
What We Do
From the first budget to running the job
One independent, AACE-certified partner across the project lifecycle, so the cost is right before you commit, value is engineered without gutting scope, and the job runs as tight as the estimate that won it.
Cost Estimating
AACE-standard estimates and quantity takeoffs from ROM through Class 2, CSI breakdowns, contingency, escalation, and a written basis of estimate. Every number has a source.
Learn more →Value Engineering
Cut cost without cutting the scope that matters. Ranked, cost-impact VE studies that close budget gaps and hold up in design review.
Learn more →Project Management & Controls
Job setup, submittals, budget and cost-loaded schedule tracking, and change-order support, the controls bench subs and lean GCs don't have in-house.
Learn more →AI Workflow Advisory
We find where AI-supported tools speed up takeoffs, benchmarking, and scope-gap checks, without removing estimator judgment from the process.
Learn more →For Growing Subcontractors
Win the work, then protect the margin.
We help subcontractors turn estimates into working budgets, set up Contractor Foreman or QuickBooks job tracking, and stay on top of submittals, change orders, and cost, so the profit you bid is the profit you keep.
Who We Work With
Estimates for Owners, Architects & Engineers, and Contractors
Independent cost estimating serves a different purpose for each party. We tailor our deliverables to what you actually need, not a one-size-fits-all report.
Owners & Developers
An owner's estimate is your most important tool before a project goes to bid. It tells you whether the bids you receive are competitive, where you're being overcharged, and whether your budget needs to change before you commit.
- ✓Independent feasibility & budget estimates
- ✓Owner's estimate to benchmark contractor bids
- ✓Go/no-go cost analysis
- ✓Value engineering options with cost impact
Architects & Engineers
Cost surprises at bid time reflect on your design. We give your team an independent cost check at each design phase, so you're not the last to know the project is over budget.
- ✓Phase-gate cost estimates (SD, DD, CD)
- ✓Quantity verification before bid issue
- ✓Value engineering with design alternatives
- ✓Constructability and scope gap review
General Contractors
A second opinion on pricing, an independent check on sub quotes, or a vendor-neutral view on which AI tools are worth adopting, we work alongside GC estimating teams without competing with them.
- ✓Independent bid validation & sub quote review
- ✓Vendor-verified pricing through direct sub relationships
- ✓Change order analysis & cost defense
- ✓AI workflow implementation & training
Our Approach
Why Estimator-Led Matters
Getting the cost right from the start isn't just about the number, it's about understanding what's in it, what's not, and what could go wrong. That takes an estimator.
Contingencies Set at the Right Level
Too low and the budget blows up. Too high and you lose the bid or the approval. Contingency is a judgment call, based on design maturity, site risk, and procurement conditions, not a blanket percentage.
Scope Gaps Caught Before They Cost You
Missing a trade, overlooking a system, or assuming work is in a sub's scope when it isn't, these are the errors that turn a winning bid into a money-losing job.
Assumptions Documented, Not Hidden
Every estimate rests on assumptions. We write them down, site conditions, procurement lead times, labor availability, design intent, so when conditions change, you know exactly what to revisit.
AACE-Certified Standards, Every Time
All estimates follow AACE International classification methodology, with defined accuracy ranges, escalation, and a written basis of estimate that owners, lenders, and subs can audit.
Vendor-Verified Pricing on Every Job
We pull live vendor and subcontractor estimates for every job we do, large or small, so every number has real market backup you can defend, not just a database lookup.
Example Outputs
What You Actually Receive
Structured, defensible deliverables, not PDFs with vague ranges. Every output includes assumptions, exclusions, and a clear basis of estimate.
Detailed Cost Estimate
AACE Class 2–3 estimate with CSI division breakdown, quantity basis, unit rates, and contingency analysis.
Excel + PDF · Scope-dependent turnaround
Quantity Takeoff Report
Material and labor quantities by trade, referenced to drawing sheets, with exclusions and clarifications noted.
Excel · Division-level detail
Rough Order of Magnitude
Rapid cost range based on project type, region, and size. Ideal for early-stage budgeting and feasibility.
Fast turnaround · With contingency bands
Bid Leveling Sheet
Side-by-side sub quote comparison with scope inclusions/exclusions, normalized for apples-to-apples comparison.
Excel dashboard format
Risk Register
Project risk identification with probability/impact scoring and contingency cost allocation by risk category.
AACE-aligned methodology
Workflow Review & Tool Advisory
Process map of your current estimating workflow with practical recommendations on where technology can save time without sacrificing accuracy.
Report + live session · Add-on service
Want to see the format?
Request a sample estimate or takeoff template, see exactly what you'd receive before booking a consultation. No commitment, no follow-up unless you want it.
For General Contractors
AI Tools for Estimating, Without the Hype
There are dozens of AI estimating tools on the market. Most GCs don't have time to evaluate them properly, and vendors aren't going to tell you where the gaps are. We will.
We review your current workflow, identify where AI can save time, then recommend only the tools that fit, based on your project types, team size, and budget. No upsells. No referral fees.
- ✓Independent evaluation, we don't sell software
- ✓Workflow audit to identify where AI saves the most time
- ✓Piloting support and team training included
- ✓Estimator judgment stays in the loop, always
AI-Assisted Takeoffs
Speed up quantity extraction from drawing sets, validated by your estimator before any number leaves the office.
Bid Comparison & Leveling
Structure sub quotes side-by-side and flag scope gaps before you sign a contract.
Cost Benchmarking
Compare estimates against market data and past projects to catch outliers before they become surprises.
Custom Reporting Dashboards
Estimating outputs in a format your PMs, owners, and subs can actually read and act on.
Track Record
Trusted Across Sectors
We've delivered estimates, takeoffs, and workflow advisory across commercial, institutional, industrial, and infrastructure projects.
“We needed an independent check on our quantities and a credible second opinion on pricing before the project went to IFB. EstimaBuild delivered a thorough line-item review that held up through the bid process. Their VE recommendations gave the team real options, not just percentage cuts, and the final costs tracked closely with what they projected.”
Parsons Eastern
Infrastructure Program · Eastern Division
“EstimaBuild supported our estimating team on a federal facilities project where accuracy and documentation were non-negotiable. Their cost estimates were detailed, defensible, and stood up to owner review without revision. Beyond the numbers, their AI tool advisory saved us from committing to a platform that looked impressive in the demo but didn't fit our actual workflow, real savings before we spent a dollar on the wrong software.”
Veterans Contracting
Federal Facilities Program
“We brought EstimaBuild in during schematic design for a mixed-use project in Austin. Their ROM came in within 15% of where we landed at SD, which is exactly the kind of early-stage discipline that keeps a project on track. By the time we hit Construction Documents, their estimate was within 4% of the CD estimate. The VE guidance they provided along the way was incorporated into the design before drawings were issued, saving the client real money before a shovel hit the ground.”
LDC Architects
Austin, TX · Mixed-Use Project
🤝 Direct subcontractor relationships, We work directly with trade subcontractors for vendor-verified pricing, giving our estimates real market grounding rather than relying solely on published cost databases.
Get Started
Ready for Estimates You Can Actually Defend?
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your project, scope, or estimating workflow and tell you exactly how we can help.
No commitment required · Response within 1 business day