Sharing our journey.

Many builders assume that when they purchase Estimating Online, they must handle all the estimating themselves. In reality, that’s not the case. You can take full control and do the estimating, or let us handle it for you. Our team can create the estimates, calculate quantities, and upload them directly into your profile. From there, you can easily adjust the settings to match your preferences. That’s what makes Estimating Online different: we simplify the process so you can save time and get accurate results.

Maximize Your Construction Estimates with Smart Decisions Entering data into Estimating Online and generating a construction price is only the beginning. Accurate estimating requires much more than simply inputting numbers. Builders must make critical decisions on profit and margin, determine how much markup and contingency to apply to each trade, and carefully analyze construction pricing risks. A smart estimate also allows flexibility—builders may need to adjust margins within the estimate to optimize results. It’s not just about punching data into a system; strategic decisions drive success. With so many features available, we can guide you through the process. For example, on a Zoom call, 30 minutes might be spent entering data—the easy part—while the remaining time focuses on the hard, decision-making aspects. We are here to help you navigate these critical steps efficiently..

Reduce Construction Costs by Adjusting Specification Levels We’ll show you how to lower a client’s estimate from $2 million to $1.8 million by strategically adjusting specification levels. Often, specifications can become unnecessarily high, inflating the overall estimate. With Estimating Online, you can easily manage these adjustments to streamline your projects. For example, we can reduce spec levels to “low” for certain trades while keeping labour complexity high to maintain quality. As we review the estimate, we selectively adjust items to lower specifications without compromising essential components. Carpentry complexity remains locked, and key areas like the kitchen can stay at a high specification for plumbing fixtures. Even tiling and other trades can be adjusted across the project to balance cost and quality efficiently..

Lower Construction Costs Without Sacrificing Labour Quality Here’s an example of how to keep labour costs high while adjusting specifications to shift some responsibility to the homeowner. We start with a $3.1 million construction project and show how to reduce it by $300,000. In cabinets and joinery, we set the overall specification to low but keep the kitchen at high specification. The same process applies to tiling, with the ensuite maintained at high specification. For electrical, lighting supply is set to low specification, while lighting labour remains high. In plumbing, low specification is applied broadly, except for the kitchen, which stays high. Other trades like windows, floor coverings, and timber flooring follow the same approach: low specification with high labour costs. Internal wall painting can even be shifted to the homeowner. By strategically managing specifications, the construction price drops from $3.1 million to $2.8 million, while maintaining profit and labour quality. Even doors can follow this approach—low specification overall but high-quality carpentry. These functions in Estimating Online make it easy to adjust specifications, retain labour quality, and protect your profit margin.

Create a Complete Bill of Quantities with Ease This process is straightforward, though many competitors don’t want you to see it. Using Rapid Tools, you can build a bill of quantities from scratch. Start by selecting kitchen demolition, bathroom demolition, and laundry demolition. As you enter data, the system automatically collects preset information. When you generate the Bill of Quantities, all demolition quantities are displayed clearly. You can adjust complexity levels from low to high, and the price updates automatically. Adding items with the plus button also updates the cost instantly. With Rapid Tools, you can easily adjust complexities, markup, and contingency, giving you full control over your estimates. It’s simple, fast, and puts you ahead of the competition.

ake Full Control of Your Construction Estimates For the past 6–8 weeks, we’ve shared with builders that estimators excel at calculating quantities, but they aren’t always the best at assessing risk. For example, if you receive an Excel spreadsheet from an estimator showing concrete at $80,000, you’re left with decisions about risk, complexity, markup, and contingency based on someone else’s assumptions. At S20 Online, we put that control in your hands. We calculate the quantities for you, then let you adjust markup, contingency, and risk levels to achieve the most accurate estimate possible. Accurate control is crucial because even a $50,000 discrepancy on a trade can erode trust in your estimates. With our platform, you maintain confidence in every project estimate.

Why Excel Spreadsheets Are No Match for Estimating Online For the past 3–4 years, we’ve been developing Estimating Online to replace traditional Excel spreadsheets. Excel simply can’t handle the dynamic functions that a web-based construction estimating application can provide. For example, a $150,000 concrete budget can be adjusted for high complexity, instantly increasing to $170,000. From there, you can add markup, contingency, and additional costings, bringing the budget to $250,000—all with just a few clicks. Change the complexity to low with markup applied, and the budget automatically updates to $210,000. This level of automation highlights why Excel is redundant. With spreadsheets, estimators often struggle to make accurate decisions about risk, and manual formulas are prone to errors. Estimating Online gives builders full control—you can adjust markup, contingency, risk levels, and trade-specific costs quickly and accurately. Every calculation is automated inside the system, eliminating errors and typos, saving time, and allowing builders to make smarter, faster decisions. With Estimating Online, accuracy, flexibility, and control are built into every estimate.

How to Adjust Construction Costs Without Compromising Quality At a QBE-level stage, let’s say your construction price comes in at $1.9–$2 million, and the client says it’s too high. First, builder fees remain fixed—we don’t compromise on quality or professionalism. The next step is to review how money is spent in each area of the home. For example, in the kitchen, the cost might be around $100,000, especially if a second kitchen has been added. By reducing the specification to low, you can cut the cost significantly without affecting labour quality. You could theoretically reduce the project type to a project builder, which uses cheaper trades and materials, potentially saving an additional $200,000. However, as a custom home builder, you work with qualified, reliable trades, and your standards don’t allow compromising on workmanship. For builders struggling to negotiate final construction prices, Estimating Online offers tools to adjust specifications, review costs by room, and explore budget-saving options while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

Why Builder Margins Should Stay Private Over the past 12 months, Estimating Online has sparked many conversations around builder margins. One topic that repeatedly comes up is whether homeowners should ask builders, contractors, trades, or suppliers about their profit margins. The short answer: they shouldn’t. Think of it this way—when you buy a coffee or a car, you don’t ask how much profit the seller is making. The same principle applies to builders. Asking for margin details is often an attempt to understand the true cost of a build to compare with other builders. But in reality, whether a builder works at 16% or 18% margin doesn’t change the quality of the work or the value they provide. In fact, estimating software allows builders to manage margins efficiently behind the scenes, spreading a set percentage across the project without impacting the final outcome. Homeowners, architects, and designers should respect the builder’s business. Whether a carpenter is billed at $120/hour or $70/hour, it’s the builder’s decision. The building industry is no different from any other business—profit is part of running a business. Appreciating the work and expertise of builders, rather than focusing on margins, ensures a healthier, more respectful process for everyone involved.

Why a Detailed Database is Key to Accurate Construction Estimating Databases are more important than many builders realize. For example, your tiler will not charge the same square metre rate for an easy job versus a complex one. As construction progresses, prices change depending on labour and material complexity. Take floor and wall tiling: different pricing levels are applied based on the type of construction. Without a detailed database, you risk applying the same rate across all jobs, leading to inaccurate estimates. The same principle applies to tile supply—you can’t just use a single rate and upload it into your project management system. At Estimating Online, all pricing data is pre-built and structured. You have access to a comprehensive database where you can manipulate or overwrite rates, ensuring your Bill of Quantities (BOQ) reflects accurate construction pricing. This system is fast, easy to use, and allows builders to maintain precision without manually managing complex data.

Partnering to Train Skilled Estimators for Builders Hi, I’m Rick from Estimating Online, and I want to share an exciting initiative aligned with the core values of our business: transparency, education, and better processes. We’ve partnered with Build Launch, a recruitment company specializing in offshore staffing, to create a training platform for estimators. What makes Build Launch special is their focus on training, education, and skill development, which aligns perfectly with our mission. Together, we ensure that when builders hire estimators through Build Launch, these professionals come pre-trained and familiar with Estimating Online. Our team takes responsibility for training estimators to understand our platform thoroughly, so builders can engage with confidence. In 2026, collaboration with companies that share your values is more important than ever, and Build Launch provides a platform that enhances estimating processes. If you want to learn more, you can reach out to me or connect with Shane from Build Launch for a conversation about improving your estimating workflow.