101 Normandy Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
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Commercial Construction Estimating

Commercial Estimating Services in Ohio

Bid-ready commercial construction estimates for general contractors, subcontractors, developers and owners across Ohio. We price offices, retail, healthcare, education, hospitality and tenant improvements by CSI division — with Ohio labor rates, prevailing wage where required and the Ohio Building Code built in.
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Call 1 (614) 721 2889
  • New construction & tenant improvements
  • Public & prevailing-wage bids
  • Multi-trade or single-division pricing
  • Formatted for your bid forms
Free, No-Obligation Quote

Send Your Plans for a Fixed-Price Quote

Email your drawings or share a Dropbox / Google Drive link. We reply with a fixed fee and a delivery date before any work begins.
  • Upload plans, specs & addenda
  • Approve your fixed quote
  • Receive your estimate in 24–48 hrs
Upload Plans
or email ask@ohiocostestimating.com
Explained

What Is Commercial Construction Estimating?

Commercial construction estimating is the process of quantifying and pricing every element of a non-residential building — sitework, structure, envelope, interiors, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection — along with general conditions, bonds, insurance, overhead and profit. The result supports a bid, a guaranteed maximum price (GMP), an owner’s budget or a lender’s cost review.

Commercial projects are larger and more coordinated than residential work, and they are bought in different ways. A hard-bid lump sum needs a complete, defensible number by bid day; a construction-manager-at-risk project needs estimates that track the design from schematics to GMP; a design-build team needs pricing that can steer design decisions. We structure every commercial estimate around how your project will actually be procured.

In Ohio, commercial buildings are governed by the Ohio Building Code (OBC), based on the International Building Code and adopted by the Ohio Board of Building Standards. Public improvements may also carry prevailing wage requirements, bonding and specific bid-form formats. Our estimators price all of it — and when you only need one scope, our MEP, electrical or drywall estimates are available on their own.

Quick Answer

What does a commercial estimate include?

A commercial estimate lists quantities and costs for every CSI division in the drawings and specifications, plus general conditions, bonds, insurance, fee and contingency. It also documents what is included, excluded and assumed, so the number can be compared with subcontractor bids or an owner’s budget.
  • GCs — hard bids & GMPs
  • Subcontractors — trade packages
  • Owners — budgets & checks
  • Architects — design-phase costs
Scope

What Our Commercial Estimates Cover

Every division in the project manual, priced and organized to drop straight into your bid form or cost report.
  • Division 01 requirements & general conditions
  • Sitework, utilities, paving & landscaping
  • Concrete foundations, slabs & tilt-up
  • Structural steel, joists & metal deck
  • Masonry, curtain wall & storefront
  • Roofing, insulation & air barriers
  • Doors, frames, hardware & specialties
  • Drywall, ceilings, flooring & paint
  • Fire protection & fire alarm
  • Plumbing & HVAC systems
  • Electrical, lighting & low voltage
  • Alternates, unit prices & allowances

What you receive

  • Excel estimate organized by CSI MasterFormat
  • Marked-up takeoff drawings (PDF)
  • Summary sheet with markups & contingency
  • Labor, material & equipment breakdown
  • Clarifications, exclusions & allowances
  • Estimate class & basis-of-estimate notes
View Sample Estimates
Project Types

Commercial Projects We Estimate

Each building type carries a different mix of structure, envelope and MEP cost — we price them accordingly.

Office & Corporate

Class A office buildings, corporate campuses, headquarters renovations and build-to-suit facilities.

Retail & Restaurants

Shopping centers, big-box stores, restaurants and drive-throughs, including shell and fit-out packages.

Healthcare & Medical Office

Medical office buildings, outpatient clinics, surgery centers and hospital renovations with heavy MEP.

Education & Public

K-12 schools, higher education, libraries, fire stations and municipal buildings, including public bids.

Hospitality & Mixed-Use

Hotels and mixed-use developments with retail at grade and residential or office above.

Tenant Improvements

Interior build-outs and renovations in occupied buildings, including phasing and after-hours work.

Ohio Expertise

Commercial Estimating for Ohio Projects

Ohio’s commercial market is busiest where institutions and employers are growing: hospital systems in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, university campuses, suburban office and medical corridors in Dublin, Mason and Westerville, and mixed-use redevelopment in downtown cores. Each market has its own labor dynamics, and we price them accordingly.

Public work adds requirements. State and local public improvements above the statutory threshold generally require Ohio prevailing wages, set by county and trade, along with bid guarantees and performance bonds. State-assisted school construction coordinated through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) follows its own design and procurement standards, and many owners now use construction-manager-at-risk or design-build delivery instead of traditional multiple-prime bidding. We package each estimate to match.

We also price the Ohio-specific details that change commercial budgets: winter enclosures and temporary heat, cold-weather concrete, Ohio and county sales tax on materials (including the construction contract exemption on qualifying exempt-owner projects), and local plan-review and permit fees.

Ohio factors we price in

  • Ohio Building Code (OBC) requirements
  • Prevailing wage by county & trade
  • Bonds, bid guarantees & insurance
  • OFCC and public bid-form formats
  • Winter enclosure & temporary heat
  • Sales tax & exempt-owner treatment
  • Local plan-review & permit fees
See How We Price Ohio Projects
Cost Drivers

What Drives Commercial Construction Costs in Ohio?

Commercial budgets move with a handful of big decisions. This is how each one shows up in our estimates.
Cost factorWhy it changes the estimateHow we price it
Delivery methodHard bid, CM-at-risk, design-build and multiple-prime projects carry different risk, fees and contingency.Estimate structured to the procurement method, with contingency and fee shown separately.
Structural systemSteel frame, cast-in-place concrete, tilt-up and wood or podium construction differ widely in cost and schedule.Priced from the structural drawings; system comparisons available through value engineering.
Building envelopeCurtain wall, masonry, metal panel and EIFS each carry very different material and labor costs.Envelope taken off by wall type and area with flashing, air barrier and insulation included.
MEP intensityHealthcare, labs and restaurants carry far more mechanical and electrical cost per square foot than office or retail.MEP priced from engineering drawings, or from stated design assumptions on early estimates.
Labor requirementsPrevailing wage, union labor or after-hours work in occupied buildings raises labor cost.Labor rates applied by county and trade; phasing and premium time listed separately.
Schedule & seasonCompressed schedules and winter work add overtime, heat, enclosures and general conditions.General conditions priced from your schedule duration rather than a flat percentage.
Guide

Commercial Estimating Guide for Ohio Owners and Contractors

Answers to the deeper questions our clients ask before they commit to a number.

Core & shell vs. tenant fit-out

Many commercial projects are priced in two parts: the base building and the interior fit-out. Developers fund the shell and offer tenants an improvement allowance, so separate estimates make lease negotiations and financing clearer. We split estimates into shell, common areas and tenant spaces whenever that is how the project will be paid for.

General conditions are not a percentage

Supervision, site offices, temporary utilities, hoisting, cleanup and winter protection depend on duration and complexity. A three-story building finished in eight months and one stretched over fourteen carry very different costs, so we price general conditions from the schedule rather than a flat markup.

Healthcare and occupied-building work

Hospitals and clinics require infection-control measures, phasing, after-hours shutdowns and coordination with facility staff. Those requirements add labor premiums and extend durations, so our healthcare estimates list them separately and owners can see the true cost of keeping a facility running during construction.

Alternates and unit prices

Ohio bid forms frequently include add and deduct alternates and unit prices for rock, unsuitable soils or extra work. Pricing them carelessly can lose a bid or a margin. We price each alternate as a complete change, including ripple effects on other trades, and test unit prices against realistic quantities.
How It Works

How the Estimating Process Works

Every commercial estimating project follows the same five steps, with one point of contact from quote to delivery. See the full estimating process.
01

Send Your Plans

Upload drawings, specs and addenda or share a link, and tell us the scope, bid date and format you need.
02

Fixed Quote

We review the documents and reply with a fixed fee and delivery date before any work starts.
03

Takeoff & Pricing

Quantities are measured digitally and priced with current Ohio labor, material and equipment costs.
04

Quality Review

A second estimator checks quantities, unit costs, math and scope gaps before release.
05

Delivery & Support

You receive the Excel estimate and marked-up takeoffs, plus updates for addenda and answers to questions.
Keep Exploring

Related Estimating Services in Ohio

Most projects need more than one kind of estimate. These pages cover the services and trades most often paired with this one.

Related services

Related trade estimates

Popular Ohio service areas

FAQs

Commercial Estimating FAQs

Straight answers to the questions we hear most.

Yes. For public improvements covered by Ohio’s prevailing wage law, we apply the current rates for the project county and each trade classification, and we can show labor separately for certified payroll planning.

Yes. We prepare design-phase estimates at schematic design, design development and construction documents, then a GMP estimate with clear qualifications, allowances and contingency. Our preconstruction services cover the full sequence.

We organize the estimate to match your bid form, alternates and unit prices so the numbers transfer directly. Final bid submission and signatures stay with your company.

Typical commercial estimates take three to five business days depending on size and number of divisions. Single-trade commercial takeoffs are often delivered in 24–48 hours. Tell us your bid date when you send plans.

Yes. TI estimates include demolition, protection, phasing, after-hours premiums and building-standard requirements from the landlord’s work letter when it is provided.

Yes. Many commercial clients are subcontractors who need one division priced — for example electrical, HVAC or drywall — formatted for the general contractor’s scope sheet.

Yes. Our bid leveling service compares bids side by side against an independent estimate so owners can spot scope gaps and outliers before awarding.

Yes. We split the estimate into base building, common areas and tenant improvements to match how the project is financed and leased.

Yes. Healthcare estimates include infection control, phasing, after-hours work and the heavier MEP systems typical of clinical spaces.

Start Your Estimate

Get Your Ohio Commercial Estimate

Send your plans and receive a fixed quote and delivery date before any work begins.
Get a Free Quote
Call 1 (614) 721 2889
ask@ohiocostestimating.com  ·  101 Normandy Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
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