Estimating Construction Profitably: Developing a System for Residential Estimating

Estimating the cost of a project is critical to your business success. Done correctly, your company is profitable. Done wrong, you lose money. Michael Stone, a successful construction business consultant and trainer, shares his years of experience estimating residential projects in this manual.

If you're estimating remodeling, renovation, new homes, specialty work, or light commercial projects, this book is for you. The book is divided into multiple short chapters for easy reference, discussing:


- methods of estimating
- details to tie down
- estimating labor
- labor rates, how to calculate and which to use
- working with other contractors
- accounting for errors
- adjusting for difficulty
- material and installed allowances
- much more

Estimating isn't difficult when you have a system. The purpose of this book is to help you create that system. It's an approach that helps you estimate without having to think about the process. An orderly approach makes estimating easier and more accurate.

Estimating is work, requiring dedication, focus, and practice to get right. It isn't as difficult when you have a system in place. The size of the project might vary but the process doesn't change. This book is about learning the process.

This book doesn't guarantee perfect estimates or a profit on your jobs. It's up to you to do the work. By following the principles, the system you develop will improve the ease and accuracy of your estimates, and that will make your company more profitable.

Written and narrated by Michael Stone, author of Markup & Profit; A Contractor’s Guide Revisited, a top-selling business management book for the construction industry, and Profitable Sales: A Contractor's Guide, a guide to successfully navigating the world of residential remodeling and specialty sales.