How do I get my construction estimates out to general contractors in Round Rock, TX, faster? I hear this all the time from my clients. And of course, you’ll want to understand how the general contractor arrived at their estimate, just to make sure it’s accurate. On the other hand, the general contractors have their own challenges.
“It’s taking me weeks.”
“I’m just sitting there with pen and paper or a calculator, trying to figure out takeoffs from plans.”
So, both parties want to know:
How do I do this better?
How do I put a system in place?
In this blog, I’ll show you how to do it lightning quick—so fast that it’s going to make your competition cry.
The Key to Fast and Accurate Construction Estimates
To do quick estimates, there are a number of pieces that need to come together. You need a built-out system that operates seamlessly and has everything in place. That may sound obvious, but it’s crucial.
Here are the four pieces you need to get right in order to have a really quick and accurate quoting system:
Need help with the details? Check the free estimate with Together Design Build.
1. Cost Codes and Standard Pricing
Cost codes are simply putting a number to the different categories of costs in a construction project. This encompasses all expenses, from design and pre-construction planning to subcontractors such as electrical, plumbing, siding, and landscaping. This is why, as a general contractor you have to follow the following cost codes.
You need these cost codes so you can:
- Easily categorize items
- Stay consistent throughout your estimating process
- Seamlessly transition info into your accounting or bookkeeping software
Having this setup guarantees that you’re not manually moving data around—it functions universally.
Then there’s standard pricing. This includes:
- The cost of a 2×4
- Board siding
- Square footage pricing for drywall, flooring, etc.
You must determine and document all your budgeting prices. This process becomes the backbone of your quoting as a trusted GCs for home additions.
If you are reading this blog as a client, you can see how the general contractor breaks down the prices of each thing. If you find any general contractor not doing this, this is a red flag.
- Your Software Stack
Don’t do it the old-fashioned way.
No one uses pencil and paper anymore—and even spreadsheets are starting to show their age.
Excel is a great place to start. It’s customizable and essentially free to set up. But the challenge is:
- Moving info into other systems like accounting or project management
- Sharing with trades or turning it into a scope of work
- Making the clients to understand every knitty-gritty detail.
Accounting software, like QuickBooks, often has estimating functions built in. The upside? It’s already connected to your finances, making it easy to manage jobs once you land them.
Project management software like CoConstruct or Buildertrend helps you tie everything together. Some tools are specifically designed for estimating. They’re not always super customizable, but they can be game changers when fully set up.
Lastly, as a licensed contractor, you need plan takeoff software. This is where you upload your plans (usually a PDF), do takeoffs, calculate square footage, linear footage for countertops or siding, and more. You simply click and scroll—scale it—and you’re done. It saves tons of time and makes your estimates transferable to the clients and other team members.
3. Rough vs. Drill-Down vs. Design Estimates
Let’s talk about free estimating vs. paid estimating.
If you’re a subcontractor with a niche service like kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling roof and repairs, free estimates At Round Rocks, TX might be quick and make sense. But if you’re a licensed general contractor quoting complex projects like commercial remodeling, room addition, or exterior remodeling that change all the time, you’ll spend hours quoting. You should be paid for that work.
At Together Design Build, when we started out, we gave free estimates. Occasionally it felt exciting—new builds, big jobs, huge potential revenue. But after doing tons of quotes and seeing no return, it became a huge time sink.
As a business owner, your time has value. Think long term. If you hire someone else to do quotes, you’ll be paying them—why would you give that away for free to your client?
So, if you’re doing free estimates at Round Rock, TX, understand this:
- Â You’re actually paying to provide a service.
- Â It costs your overhead, your time, and real money.
Rough Budgets vs. Drill-Down Budgets
Rough Budgets use your cost codes and standard pricing. It’s quick and easy—something you can fire off in an hour or two.
Once the client is serious, you move to a drill-down budget, where you get:
- Selections
- Designs
- Quotes from subs
- All the little details dialed in
That’s much more involved, and you should charge a retainer for it. As a trusted general contractor round rock tx, we usually charges our clients for such serious project estimation.
4. Assemblies and Templates
You want to have a template for every type of project you do. For example:
- Kitchen renovation
- Bathroom renovation
- Whole home reno
- New home build
- 3D DesignÂ
- Water DamageÂ
- Fire DamageÂ
Break them down into tiers:
Low-end, Mid-range, High-end, Super Custom.
You shouldn’t be building estimates from scratch each time. Just plug and play, tweak where needed.
Then there are assemblies—another major time-saver.
Example:
If you’re building a deck, don’t figure out every time:
- How many 2x10s?
- How many 2x4s?
- Joist hangers?
Build an assembly:
- Fixed overhead cost (maybe $3,000 regardless of size)
- Per square foot pricing for materials
- Waste calculations
Same for framing a wall:
- Nails
- Studs
- Sheathing
- Glue
- Plates
Put all of that into a repeatable assembly. That way, you get an accurate estimation of the construction project without starting from zero every time.
Ready to Stop Wasting Time on Estimates?
If you’re a homeowner or client, you want to know your project is in good hands—with a team that knows how to price things accurately, avoid surprises, and deliver exactly what was promised. That’s where Together Design Build shines. We’re here to guide you from that first estimate all the way through to a beautifully finished project, keeping everything transparent, on time, and on budget.
And if you’re a remodeler or contractor tired of spending hours piecing together quotes, losing jobs to delays, or just feeling buried under paperwork—we get it. We’ve been there. At Together Design Build, we help construction pros build faster, smarter systems for estimating so you can spend more time doing what you do best—and make more money doing it.
Whether you’re planning your dream renovation or looking to take your construction business to the next level—we’re here to help you win.
Let’s make construction easier, faster, and way more awesome—for everyone involved. Contact Us.
