How much does a construction estimate cost?

The short answer: it depends on the size and type of the project, and you get a fixed quotation before any work starts. Here is what goes into that number and how to keep it down.

What decides the fee

Estimating is priced on the work involved, not on the value of the build. Three things drive it.

• The type of estimate. A preliminary budget from sketch plans is a smaller job than a fully priced construction estimate with a bill of quantities, which prices every material, labour item, service and margin, task by task.
• The size and complexity of the project. A single-level home takes less time to measure and price than a two-storey home, a duplex or a set of units. Renovations and extensions can take longer than their size suggests because existing conditions have to be allowed for.
• The documentation you can supply. Complete construction drawings, engineering, electrical and hydraulic plans and colour selections mean less time filling gaps. Where documents are missing we allow for those items from current building standards and experience on similar projects, which takes longer and is less precise.

How the quotation works

Send the Request for Quotation form with your plans and we reply with a formal quotation for the estimating work, usually the same business day. That is a fixed fee for the scope described, so you can allow for it in your own budget or tender costs. If you need extra services, such as obtaining supplier quotations or a non-priced bill of quantities for tendering, we discuss those once you have the quotation.

Is it worth it?

An independent estimate earns its fee in two places. Before construction, a preliminary budget shows where a design is expensive while it is still cheap to change it. At tender, a fully priced estimate means the contractor is not guessing at margins or leaving items out, and the owner or developer knows what a fair price looks like before quotes arrive. Either way, one avoided variation typically covers the cost of the estimate several times over.

How to keep the fee down

• Send everything you have in one go: plans, site plan, soil test, engineering, selections. Chasing documents adds time.
• Say what the estimate is for. A budget to decide whether to proceed needs less detail than a tender submission.
• Ask for a preliminary budget first on a large or unusual project, then a full estimate once the design settles.