The accuracy of an estimate is set by the documents behind it. This is what to send for each type of estimate, and what happens when something is missing.
For a preliminary budget estimate
A preliminary budget is meant to be done early, so it works from less. Three things are enough to start:
- Sketch plans or design-concept drawings, to scale. Floor plan and elevations if you have them.
- Site plan, showing the block, slope and where the building sits.
- Soil test, because the footing system is one of the biggest early cost swings.
For a full construction or tendering estimate, or a quantity take-off
- Construction plans including all elevations, sections, details and any related drawings.
- Engineering, if available: footings, slab, frame, bracing and tie-down.
- Electrical and hydraulic plans.
- Colour and finish selections: roofing, cladding, windows, tiles, tapware, benchtops, appliances. These change the price more than most people expect.
- Soil test report.
- Anything project-specific: a specification, a preferred supplier list, a wind rating, bushfire or flood overlays, or a note on what you want included or excluded.
What if I don’t have all of it?
Send what you have. Where a document is missing, we include those items in the estimate based on current building standards and our experience on projects of a similar nature, and we say in the estimate which items were allowed for that way. That keeps the estimate complete, but an allowance is never as tight as a measured quantity from a drawing, so the more you can supply, the closer the number.
How to send it
PDF is ideal for plans; photos of paper drawings are workable for a preliminary budget but not for a full take-off. Attach everything to one email with the Request for Quotation form, sent to cottageest@yahoo.com.au. Large files can be shared by a download link. Include your name, phone number, the type of project and the type of estimate you need.
Ready to send your plans? The form and the full checklist are on the Quotes page.