Estimating dates are confirmed once your quote is approved and deposit received.
RESIDENTIAL ESTIMATING FOR VICTORIAN BUILDERS
Get The Estimate Off Your Desk Without Hiring Another Full-Time Estimator
Professional residential estimating for Victorian builders who need more capacity without taking on another full-time estimator or another estimating system to maintain.
20+ years of residential estimating experience across custom and volume building.
Master Builders Victoria Member | 20+ Years Residential Estimating Experience
Answer 3 Quick Questions And Get Your Estimating Quote
Tell us what you're pricing, where the project is at and when you need it. It takes less than a minute. Then we'll know what we need to review before discussing the plans and estimating scope.
What type of residential project needs estimating?
20+ years residential estimating experience. Fixed estimating fee. One person from start to finish.
20+ Years
Residential construction estimating experience
1 Point Of Contact
From first discussion through to final review
5 Steps
A clear estimating process from project review to delivery
"Cost2Build turned our rough plans into a detailed estimate we could actually price from. Saved us weeks of internal work."
Mark T.
Custom Home Builder, Melbourne
"Fast, accurate and easy to deal with. The fixed fee made it simple to quote the estimating cost into our own proposal."
Sarah L.
Renovation Specialist, Geelong
"We use Cost2Build when our team is at capacity. The estimates are thorough and our clients trust the numbers."
David R.
Volume Builder, Ballarat
The Problem
The Estimate Keeps Getting Pushed Back. The Tender Date Doesn't.
The plans are sitting there.
You've got jobs underway. Clients need answers. Another tender has landed.
And somebody still has to sit down and work through the scope, quantities, labour, materials and trade costs.
That somebody is often the builder. At night. Or on the weekend.
That's when corners can get cut.
A quantity gets rushed. An allowance gets carried over from another job. A piece of scope gets missed. Supplier pricing doesn't get checked properly. Or the estimate simply sits there because there isn't enough time to finish it.
And once you send a number to the client, you're the one who has to stand behind it.
Price too low and missed costs can follow the job through construction.
Price too high and the opportunity may disappear before the job starts.
The Solution
Get The Detailed Estimating Work Off Your Plate
Cost2Build gives residential builders experienced estimating capacity when the workload is there.
You send through the plans and project documents.
We assess the estimating scope, agree the fee upfront and issue your project dates once the job is approved and the deposit is received.
Then we work through the project.
Actual plans. Actual scope. Actual quantities. Labour, materials and trade costs.
When the estimate is complete, we go through it with you.
No anonymous handballing.
No spreadsheet dropped into your inbox with no explanation.
No wondering who to speak to when you've got a question.
What You Get
What Can Be Included In Your Estimate
Depending on the agreed project scope:
- Plan and project document review
- Construction scope assessment
- Quantity calculations
- Labour allowances
- Material allowances
- Trade and subcontractor costing
- Construction-stage cost breakdown
- Detailed building cost estimate
- Cost reporting
- Bill of Quantities where applicable
- Digital delivery
- Final estimate review with Cost2Build
You're not just paying for a spreadsheet. You're paying to get the estimating work properly handled before you price the job.
How It Works
From Plans To A Finished Estimate
Send Us The Project
Send through your plans and relevant project documentation. We review what you've got and work out the estimating scope required.
Approve The Quote
We provide the Cost2Build estimating fee upfront. Once approved and the required deposit is received, your project gets a start and completion date.
Get Your Estimate And Review It
We work through the agreed estimating scope and deliver the completed estimate digitally. Then we go through it with you so you can ask questions and understand what's been allowed for.
Sample Estimate
What Your Estimate Actually Looks Like
A real sample set prepared for a private builder: client Mark Thompson, proposed double storey dwelling, knockdown rebuild in Malvern East. Every job comes back as a preliminary estimate, a detailed bill of quantities and a material takeoff.
Preliminary Estimate
Early-stage costing by trade section with rates per square metre and percentage of total build.
Detailed Estimate (Bill Of Quantities)
Line-by-line item codes, quantities, unit rates and amounts across every trade section.
Material Takeoff
Quantities and locations for every item so your suppliers can price straight off the sheet.
Sample pages shown for illustration. Client details and pricing are from a demonstration project.
Features To Benefits
What The Detail Means For You
Plan And Document Review
We start with the plans and project information provided.
Which means you get an estimate based on the job in front of you, rather than a rough square-metre figure or recycled costing.
Construction Scope Assessment
We work through what needs to be allowed for under the agreed estimating scope.
Which means you get another experienced set of eyes looking for items that could otherwise be missed before you price the job.
Quantity Calculations
Relevant project quantities are calculated from the documentation.
Which means you have a clearer basis for labour, material and trade allowances.
Labour, Material And Trade Costing
The main construction cost areas are worked through as part of the agreed estimate.
Which means you get a clearer picture of where the project costs are sitting before you put a number in front of the client.
Construction-Stage Breakdown
Costs can be organised around the stages of the residential build.
Which means the estimate is easier to review against the way the job will actually be constructed.
Bill Of Quantities Where Applicable
More detailed quantity information can be included where the agreed scope requires it.
Which means you have another level of detail when checking supplier and subcontractor pricing.
Fixed Estimating Fee
The Cost2Build fee is agreed before estimating starts.
Which means you know what the estimating service itself is costing before the work begins.
Start And Completion Dates
Dates are issued once the quote is approved and the required deposit has been received.
Which means you know when your project is scheduled instead of sending plans away without knowing when they'll come back.
One Point Of Contact
The same person stays with your project through the estimating process and final review.
Which means you don't have to keep explaining the job every time you have a question.
Final Review
We go through the completed estimate with you.
Which means you're not left trying to decipher the work yourself after you've already paid somebody else to do it.
The Dream State
What This Looks Like When Estimating Stops Owning Your Nights
The plans land and they don't automatically become tonight's problem.
You can keep your attention on the jobs already under construction.
Clients still get their pricing moving.
Tender opportunities don't have to sit untouched because your own estimating capacity is full.
And before you put a price forward, you've got a detailed estimate sitting behind the decision.
Less after-hours estimating. More room to run the building business.
Comparison
Cost2Build vs The Usual Low-Cost Outsourced Estimate
Project Review
Cost2BuildPlans and documents reviewed for the actual project.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingThe level of project review can vary.
Residential Experience
Cost2Build20+ years of residential estimating experience.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingEstimator experience can vary.
Point Of Contact
Cost2BuildOne person from first discussion through to final review.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingProjects may move between several people.
Estimating Fee
Cost2BuildFee agreed before estimating begins.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingPricing structures vary between providers.
Project Dates
Cost2BuildStart and completion dates issued after approval and deposit.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingScheduling and communication can vary.
Quantity Work
Cost2BuildRelevant quantities calculated from the supplied project documentation under the agreed scope.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingThe level of quantity detail depends on the provider and service selected.
Final Review
Cost2BuildCompleted estimate reviewed with you.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingSome services provide file delivery without a detailed review.
Questions
Cost2BuildSpeak with the person responsible for the project.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingThe person answering questions may not be the person who prepared the estimate.
Adjustments
Cost2BuildRelevant estimate adjustments are reviewed and repriced at no additional cost.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingRevision terms vary.
Approach
Cost2BuildResidential estimating experience comes first. Tools support the work.
Typical Low-Cost OutsourcingMethods and estimator involvement vary.
The Guarantee
The Cost2Build Estimate Confidence Guarantee
Outsourcing your estimating should reduce the work on your plate.
Not create another job for you to fix.
That's why Cost2Build makes four clear commitments.
Your Estimating Fee Is Agreed Upfront
You know Cost2Build's fee for the agreed estimating scope before work starts.
Your Project Gets Scheduled
Once the quote is approved and the required deposit is received, you receive a start date and completion date.
You Deal With One Person
The same point of contact stays with the project from the first discussion through to delivery and review.
If Something Concerns You, We'll Review It
If something within the completed estimate concerns you, Cost2Build will review it. Where a relevant adjustment is required, we'll make the adjustment, reprice the estimate and return the updated work at no additional cost.
Because outsourcing estimating should take work off your plate. Not give you another estimate you have to rebuild yourself.
Behind The Work
Behind Cost2Build
Cost2Build is backed by more than 20 years inside residential construction estimating.
That experience covers custom residential building, volume residential building, single and double-storey homes, knockdown rebuilds, renovations, extensions and multi-unit developments.
The background also includes leading estimating teams, training estimators, developing estimating systems and processes, working with leading estimating software and managing offshore estimating teams.
The point is simple.
Your project isn't being treated like generic data entry.
The estimating work is approached by somebody who understands how residential construction costs fit together and what happens when important items are missed.
Cost2Build is a Master Builders Victoria member.
Service Area
Residential Estimating For Victorian Builders
Cost2Build works with residential builders across Victoria.
Because the estimating work is handled digitally, plans and project documentation can be sent through without needing a face-to-face appointment.
Send through the project and we'll review what you've got before confirming the estimating scope.
FAQ
Questions About Your Estimating
The fee depends on the project and the estimating scope required.
Send through the plans and relevant documents first.
We'll review the job and provide the estimating fee before work begins.
Got Plans Sitting There Waiting To Be Priced?
Every day the estimate sits untouched is one less day available to properly work through the project before the price has to go out.
Send through the project details.
We'll review what you've got, work out the estimating scope and provide the Cost2Build estimating quote.
20+ years of residential estimating experience. One person from start to finish. Fee agreed upfront.
Estimating dates are confirmed once your quote is approved and the required deposit is received.