Construction estimating services in Seattle, WA

It changes both quantities and sequencing. We add line items for temporary weather protection, moisture-resistant sheathing and plates where the specification calls for them, and dewatering or stabilized access during the wet months. Roofing and envelope work is priced with the understanding that the schedule may carry a weather allowance. The takeoff itself does not change, but the labor hours and the temporary works do, and those are where a dry-season bid usually falls short.

Yes. We build the labor rate from the trade you tell us you will use, including burden, and we can carry union rates with the applicable apprenticeship ratios and shift differentials. If your bid is open shop, we price that instead. The important part is that the rate is stated on the takeoff so you can see what was assumed, rather than buried in a composite number. Pricing is adjusted to the ZIP code of the project.

Send the plan set, the specifications, and any geotechnical or civil drawings you have. If the project is in for permit, the plan review comments are useful because they often add scope. Tell us the trade package you are bidding, the delivery date, and whether you want the takeoff organized by CSI MasterFormat division or by your own bid form. Marked-up plan sets come back with the Excel and PDF files so you can trace every quantity.

Most projects come back in 24 to 48 hours. Larger multifamily and commercial packages take longer, and we will tell you the date when we see the drawings. Rush turnaround is available if your bid deadline is close. The format is Excel and PDF, organized by CSI MasterFormat division, with the marked-up plan set included so the quantities can be checked against the drawings.

The permit figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey for 2025, and they count new privately-owned residential units permitted by the city. That means single-family and multifamily housing only. Commercial, industrial, and institutional permits are not in the count. The survey reported 4,366 residential units in Seattle for 2025, down 26 percent from 5,895 in 2024, with multifamily at 89 percent of the total.

Yes. We cover the surrounding area, including work in King County and the nearby cities of Tacoma, Spokane, and Vancouver. Each has its own adopted code edition and local amendments, so we price from the jurisdiction that will issue the permit. If you are bidding the same scope in more than one city, tell us and we will note the differences in the takeoff rather than applying one set of assumptions to both.

Yes, with the understanding that the quantities carry assumptions. We list every assumption on the takeoff cover sheet so you can see what was included and what was excluded. Where a system is not designed yet, we price from a basis-of-design narrative and mark the line item as an allowance. That is more useful to a bidder than a single number with no backup, because you can adjust the allowance when the design firms up.

Material pricing is adjusted to the project ZIP code so the extension reflects the local market rather than a national average. Sales tax is applied at the rate for the point of delivery, and we show it as a separate line so you can see it. If you have supplier quotes for major materials, send them and we will use your numbers instead of our database. Labor rates are stated separately from material so the two can be adjusted independently.

We take off all divisions that appear in your set, from Division 02 sitework through Division 33 utilities. Concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, openings, finishes, specialties, equipment, and the MEP divisions are all priced from the drawings and specifications. If you only need one trade package, we will deliver that package alone. If you need the whole building, the takeoff comes back organized so each trade can be extracted without rework.

Yes. Every takeoff includes a marked-up plan set showing what was measured, where the counts came from, and which areas were excluded. Color coding follows the trade or division so you can follow a single scope through the drawings. This is the part most bidders find most useful when a general contractor asks how a number was derived. The marked-up set is delivered as a PDF alongside the Excel workbook.