How we price a construction project — and why the estimate takes a week

Clients are sometimes surprised that our estimates take a week rather than a phone call. Here's what happens in that week.

We start with a site visit and a measured survey, not just the drawings you hand us — structures rarely match the plan exactly, and the gap is where budgets go wrong. From there we price materials against current supplier quotes rather than a rate card, because timber and steel pricing moves month to month.

Then we build a real schedule: trade sequencing, inspection windows, and a buffer for the delays monsoon season guarantees. Only once that schedule holds together do we put a number on paper. It's slower than a rough guess, but it's a number we'll actually stand behind.