Construction Estimating Software for Better Bids

Construction estimating software is a digital tool used by construction professionals to accurately calculate the costs associated with a construction project. It helps in estimating material, labor, and other expenses involved in building projects.

At minimum, a construction estimate should include:

• Business Name, Logo & Contact Information: Include the proper business name, professional logo, and contact information to ensure identification.
• Client Contact Information: Clearly distinguish the client's full name, address, and contact details to ensure accurate addressing of the estimate.
• Estimate Number: Assign a unique number to each estimate for organizational purposes, facilitating quick retrieval when needed.
• Labor & Materials: Break down labor and materials costs based on the specific project requirements, keeping line items separate for clarity and providing a buffer for potential overruns.
• Summary of Costs: Include additional expenses such as materials markup, operations costs, taxes, shipping, and other charges to provide a comprehensive overview of the estimated costs.
• Acceptance & Signature: Ensure the client acknowledges and understands the estimate by including a section for acceptance and signature, making the estimate legally sound.

Learn more about creating a construction estimate in our full guide, complete with a free template.

With so many construction pros looking to digitize their business, there are many types of construction estimating tools available on the market today. When looking for an estimating software that suits your needs, be sure to consider the following features:

• Cloud-based: A cloud-based construction estimating software will help keep your estimates organized in the cloud so any team member, contractor or client can access them when they need to. It also ensures you only ever have one version of an estimate floating around to create a single source of truth.
• Integrations: The construction cost estimator you choose should integrate with your other business tools so you don’t have to completely overhaul the way you work. Integrations with Gmail, Zoom and accounting software like QuickBooks online are some important integrations to look for as you’ll commonly be using these tools to send and communicate your estimates, then align them with your business finances.
• All-In-One Tools: Construction estimate apps are most useful for busy pros when they have other features that help optimize the entire project workflow. For example, if you use one tool to create your estimates and another to create invoices, you’ll be spending a lot of time entering the same data twice, which could hold you back from taking on more projects. Be sure to look for tools that can tackle takeoffs, estimates, invoices, change orders and more so you can achieve maximum business efficiency.

P.S. Houzz Pro’s construction quoting software checks all of the boxes on this wish list. Try a demo to see for yourself.

With a subscription to Houzz Pro’s construction estimate builder, you also get access to these project winning tools that help your business stand out from the competition:

• Proposals
• Mood boards
• 3D floor planner
• CRM

You can find more information about what features are included with each of our plans here.

When you subscribe to Houzz Pro’s construction estimating software, you gain premium access to our support team. That means you get an exclusive phone number that directs you to an onshore team member and you get pushed to the top of the queue.

You also get personalized on-demand onboarding support, showing you how to properly use the specific features you want, when you want, to help get your business up and running with Houzz Pro. We also have a wide variety of help articles available in our Help Center and in-depth how-to videos on our YouTube channel.