Residential Construction Estimating Services & Takeoffs Home budgets that pencil out.
We build your dedicated residential estimating team — custom and production single-family — recruited, trained and managed in-house to price every division to your plans, your specs and your market. Full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
15 days of free estimating is available to qualified contractors, subject to approval. If you choose to continue afterwards, service moves to a quarterly agreement (3-month term) that renews each quarter until cancelled — full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
- 600+estimators
- 140,000+jobs estimated
- 45 states+ D.C. & PR · Canada · Australia
- 50+trades & scopes
Hiring an estimator is slow, expensive, and risky.
Or have a dedicated estimator on your bids in under 7 days.
Hiring in-house
| 12,435 | open estimator positions across the US — everyone is competing for the same people |
|---|---|
| 3–5 months | typical time to hire an estimator |
| $50,000 | typical cost of a bad hire |
| $100K–$120K | estimator salary, plus benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead |
| 20–25% | typical recruiter or placement fee, charged on first-year salary |
With Bidding Enterprise
- A fraction of the in-house costNo salary, payroll tax, benefits or recruiter fees
- One simple monthly paymentNo benefits to pay. We handle payroll and expenses; it's all included in one monthly payment
- No placement feesZero recruiting or placement fees
- Free replacementNot the right fit? We swap your estimator at no cost
- QA team includedQA and technical managers at no extra cost
- Start within 7 daysYour estimator onboards in about a week
- Your hours, your time zoneWorks your schedule and reports directly to you
Fully managed and AI-enabled. Hiring, training and coverage are handled by us; Build Intel and Dexter speed up the work, and your estimator and our QA team check every output.
Market figures are typical industry estimates and vary by region and role.
Foundation to finishes — the whole house.
Custom or production, we quantify and price every division of the home — the structure, the shell, the systems and the finishes — so your budget is complete, buildable, and easy to adjust with the owner.
Sitework & foundation
Excavation, footings, slabs, stem walls and flatwork (Div 03 / 31) — with soils, drainage and lot coordination allowed for.
Framing & structure
Lumber, engineered wood, sheathing and hardware (Div 06) — board-by-board or by assembly, with waste and labor built in.
Envelope & roofing
Siding, stucco, windows, doors and roofing (Div 07 / 08) — the weather line, quantified by elevation and finish level.
MEP systems
Plumbing, HVAC and electrical (Div 22 / 23 / 26) — priced by fixture, ton and circuit for the actual home, not a rule of thumb.
Interior finishes
Drywall, trim, cabinets, counters, flooring, tile and paint (Div 09 / 06 / 12) — the allowance-driven scope owners care about most.
Allowances & soft costs
Selections, fixtures and appliance allowances, plus permits, supervision and contingency — carried clearly so the budget holds.
Home budget calculator.
Get a conceptual budget range from living area and a cost-per-SF band. A quick planning check — your dedicated estimating team delivers the full, drawing-based estimate.
Conceptual budget (ROM)
A cost breakdown you can walk an owner through.
Clean, division-organized quantities and pricing with allowances and exclusions spelled out — the format a builder hands to a client or a lender. Sample below (illustrative only).
| Division | Qty | Unit | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/31 — Site & Foundation | 2,600 | SF | $28.00 | $72,800 |
| 06 — Framing & Carpentry | 2,600 | SF | $62.00 | $161,200 |
| 07/08 — Envelope & Roofing | 2,600 | SF | $44.00 | $114,400 |
| 22/23/26 — MEP Systems | 2,600 | SF | $52.00 | $135,200 |
| 09/12 — Interior Finishes | 2,600 | SF | $78.00 | $202,800 |
| 01 — Allowances & Soft Costs | 1 | LS | $61,600 | $61,600 |
| Estimated subtotal | $748,000 |
One home, or your whole build book.
Bid more, hire less
Price every custom and spec home without adding office staff. Extra capacity in busy season, or a dedicated estimator who learns your plans and vendors.
Budgets that win the job
Fast, complete cost breakdowns for owners and lenders — so you quote confidently and protect margin from foundation to finish.
Cover your scope
Trade-specific residential takeoffs for the divisions you self-perform, pulled straight from the plans so your quotes match the home.
Build your residential estimating team.
Tell us your project type and the homes you're pricing. Book a free 1-hour pre-construction assessment — we'll review your process; assessment and setup take about an hour, and your estimator is typically on your bids in under 7 days.
Qualified contractors get 15 days of free estimating — your dedicated estimator works your live bids at no cost, full-time, part-time, or as-needed.
Or reach us: Estimate@Biddingenterprise.com · 718-717-2729
Residential construction estimating — common questions
What does residential construction estimating include?
It covers custom and production single-family homes across every division — foundations, framing, roofing, exterior, MEP, insulation, drywall, and finishes. We price to your plans, specs, and selections, reflect your market and past builds, and organize the estimate the way you buy and schedule, so budgets pencil out before you commit.
Do you work with custom home builders and production builders?
Both. Custom builders get detailed estimates tied to plans, specs, and owner selections, while production builders get plan-by-plan takeoffs and option pricing they can reuse across lots. Either way, your dedicated team learns your standards and suppliers, so each estimate starts from your own historical costs.
Can I hire a part-time residential estimator?
Yes. Many clients start with a part-time or as-needed residential estimator and move to full-time as their bid list grows. Your estimator is dedicated to your company, trained on your standards and past bids, and backed by our QA and management, so you can chase more residential bids without hiring, training, or covering PTO yourself.
How fast can you start residential estimating for us?
Most clients finish the free assessment and setup in about an hour, with their estimator typically on their bids in under 7 days. We review your residential scope, software, and the bids you're chasing, then map the estimator or team we'd assign. Timelines for individual bids depend on project size and drawings, so we agree on them bid by bid rather than promising a fixed turnaround.
Is your residential estimating AI-enabled?
Yes. Every residential estimating team we build works with Build Intel, our AI-assisted estimating software, and Dexter, our AI co-estimator, which reads drawings and specs and gives cited answers. AI speeds up the first draft; your dedicated estimator checks every quantity and our QA team reviews the work before it reaches you. You review and approve the final bid.
How fast can I get an estimator?
Typically in under 7 days. The free assessment and setup take about an hour; then we match a dedicated estimator trained for your trade, and most clients have that estimator on their bids in under 7 days. It is a good-faith target, not a guarantee — timing depends on your trade, software, and bid volume.