Construction Cost Estimating Services in Ohio

Most residential and single-trade estimates are delivered within 24–48 hours of receiving complete drawings. Large commercial or industrial projects with many trades typically take three to five business days. Rush service is available when your bid date is close — tell us the deadline when you send plans.

Accuracy depends on how complete the drawings are. With full construction documents, a detailed (AACE Class 1–2) estimate is built to land within a tight range of real bid prices; conceptual estimates carry wider ranges. Every estimate we deliver states its class, assumptions and exclusions. See the methodology for details.

Yes. For public improvements subject to Ohio’s prevailing wage law, we price labor using the applicable prevailing wage rates for the county and trade. For private work we use market rates for union or open-shop crews, depending on how you bid.

A quantity takeoff measures how much material the project needs — cubic yards of concrete, square feet of drywall, linear feet of pipe. A cost estimate takes those quantities and adds labor, material prices, equipment, overhead and profit to reach a total cost.

Send the plans (PDF or CAD), specifications, any addenda, the project location, the trades or scope you need priced and your bid date. A geotechnical report helps for sitework and foundations. Use the contact form or email ask@ohiocostestimating.com.

Yes. Homeowners use our residential estimates to set a budget before hiring a builder, compare contractor bids line by line, and provide cost documentation that construction lenders request.

You receive an Excel estimate organized by CSI division and color-coded PDF takeoff drawings. We can also format the estimate to match your company’s bid template or proposal layout.

Yes. We serve all 88 Ohio counties. Our service area pages cover the 12 most active markets, but projects anywhere in Ohio are priced with the same local data.

We work in industry-standard digital takeoff tools such as Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift and On-Screen Takeoff, and Xactimate for insurance restoration estimates. Quantities are delivered in formats that open without special software.

Yes. Drawings and pricing are used only to prepare your estimate and are never shared with third parties. We sign NDAs on request. Read our privacy policy.

Yes. Our bid leveling service compares subcontractor bids side by side, and our change order estimating prices extra work with documented quantities and unit costs.

Firms with a steady, year-round bid volume may justify a full-time estimator. Most small and mid-size Ohio contractors spend less with outsourced estimating, because the cost follows their bid calendar instead of a fixed salary, software and training budget.

Yes. We price what the drawings show, carry clearly labeled allowances for what they don’t, and state the estimate class so you know how firm the number is. Early designs are a good fit for conceptual estimating.

Yes. Send each addendum as it is issued and we update quantities and pricing, with a change log showing what moved. Revision terms are stated in your quote.

Yes. Our public bid estimating prices labor from the county wage determination, carries alternates and unit prices as written, and includes a checklist of bid-package requirements.

No. We are an independent construction estimating firm. We don’t bid or build, which keeps our estimates objective and lets contractors share drawings with us without competing against us.