Core
Construction Estimating Services in New Zealand
A complete, trade-by-trade cost estimate built from your drawings, so you can price, tender or test feasibility with confidence.
A construction estimate is the number every other decision hangs off. Get it wrong at tender and you either lose the job or win it at a loss. Get it wrong at feasibility and a development that looked viable stalls halfway through. Our construction estimating service gives New Zealand builders, developers and owners a full cost picture of a project, organised the way the work is actually built.
We work from your consent or tender drawings, specifications and any engineer's details, and measure every trade from site preparation to final finishes. Each quantity is then priced with material and labour rates you can review and adjust. The result is not a single lump sum on a page: it is a structured estimate you can interrogate line by line, compare against subcontractor quotes and carry into your own tender.
Because we cover all 32 trades in-house, the estimate stays consistent from the foundations up. There are no gaps where one trade's scope ends and another's begins, and nothing is counted twice.
Scope
What we measure in a construction takeoff
| Item | Unit | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary and general items | item / week | Site establishment, scaffolding allowance, temporary fencing, site amenities, supervision duration. |
| Site works and earthworks | m³ / m² | Strip, cut, fill, compaction and disposal, separated from building trades. |
| Substructure | m³ / m² / t | Footings, slab, formwork and reinforcing tied to the structural drawings. |
| Framing and structure | lm / no. / t | Timber or steel framing, beams, posts, lintels and fixings. |
| Envelope | m² / lm | Roofing, cladding, wraps, cavity battens, joinery and flashings. |
| Interior linings and finishes | m² / lm | Plasterboard, stopping, ceilings, flooring, tiling, painting and trims. |
| Services allowances | PC sum / point | Plumbing, drainage, electrical and mechanical, measured or as provisional sums where design is incomplete. |
| Margins and contingency | % | Shown as separate lines so you can set your own margin and risk allowance. |
Deliverables
What you receive
The estimate is laid out by trade and by building element, with a summary sheet that rolls up to a total excluding GST. Provisional sums and prime cost items are flagged so they are easy to replace with real quotes.
| Itemised quantity sheet | Excel + PDF |
| Marked-up plans | Colour-coded PDF |
| Material and labour schedule | Excel |
| Assumptions and exclusions list |
Who it is for
Built for the people who price the work
- Builders
- Tender a new home or light commercial job without losing a week of evenings to takeoff.
- Subcontractors
- Check where your package sits within the overall project cost before a head contractor negotiation.
- Developers
- Test a townhouse scheme's build cost against sale values before committing to land or design fees.
- Architects
- Give a client a credible cost check at developed design, before the drawings go out to tender.
Process
How a construction estimate runs
STEP 01
Upload plans
Send the full drawing set, specification and any geotech or engineering reports. Partial sets are fine; we will note what is missing.
STEP 02
Scope confirmation
We confirm which trades are measured, which are provisional sums and what pricing basis you want (our rates, your rates or quantities only).
STEP 03
Takeoff and review
Each trade is measured, priced and then checked against the whole: area rates, ratios and totals are sense-checked before release.
STEP 04
Delivery
You receive the Excel workbook, a PDF summary and marked-up plans, plus a short call or email walk-through if you want one.
New Zealand context
Standards and practice
Measurement follows the logic of NZS 4202, the New Zealand standard method of measurement for building works, adapted where builders prefer a trade-based layout. Costs are in New Zealand dollars and shown excluding GST, with GST added as a separate line on the summary.
We read the drawings against the relevant New Zealand Building Code clauses where they affect quantity: for example, the B1 structural details that drive footing sizes, the E2 external moisture details that drive cavity and flashing quantities, and H1 energy efficiency requirements that affect insulation and glazing specifications. We do not certify compliance; that remains with your designer and building consent authority.
We measure and price to the drawings. Design compliance and building consent remain with your designer and building consent authority.
Cost drivers
What drives the cost of construction work
01
Completeness of the design
A full consent set with engineering and a specification can be measured almost line for line. A concept set leaves more as provisional sums. We show both clearly, so you know which part of the total is measured and which part is still an allowance waiting for design.
02
Site conditions
Slope, access, ground conditions and the distance to services can move the cost of a building more than its floor area does. We read the survey and geotech report and carry those conditions into earthworks, foundations and preliminaries instead of pricing a flat, easy site.
03
Programme length
Scaffolding hire, site amenities, supervision and insurance all scale with time on site. We price preliminaries from your programme, or from a stated duration, so a longer build is reflected in the estimate rather than buried in a margin.
04
Specification level
Two homes with the same plan can differ by a large margin on joinery, cladding, kitchens and finishes. We price what is specified and keep allowances visible, so specification changes can be costed quickly.
Where construction estimates go wrong
Most errors in a full estimate are not bad rates; they are missing scope. A trade that falls between two subcontractors, such as cavity closers between the cladding and joinery packages, or making good after the electrician, gets priced by nobody. Measuring every trade in one workbook makes those gaps visible.
The other common problem is double counting, which is just as costly at tender because it makes you uncompetitive. Our second-person check compares trade totals against each other and against simple ratios, which catches both.
FAQ
Construction Estimating questions
What is the difference between a construction estimate and a quantity surveyor's cost plan?
A cost plan from a quantity surveyor is usually prepared at concept or design stages and may use elemental rates. Our construction estimate is a measured, trade-by-trade estimate from drawings, intended for tendering, budgeting or checking subcontractor prices. Many clients use both at different stages.
Do you price with your rates or mine?
Either. We can apply our current market rates, insert your own labour and supplier rates, or deliver quantities only so you can price them yourself.
Can you estimate from concept drawings?
Yes, but the estimate will carry more provisional sums and assumptions. We list each assumption so you can see where the risk sits and update the estimate as the design develops.
Is GST included?
Rates and totals are shown excluding GST, with GST calculated as a separate line on the summary sheet.
Do you visit the site?
We work remotely from drawings, photographs and reports. If site conditions matter, such as access or existing structures, send photos and notes and we will reflect them in the assumptions.
How do you handle variations after the estimate is done?
Send the revised drawings and we will re-measure the affected trades and issue a revision with the changes tracked, so you can see the cost movement.
Related services
- Quantity Takeoff Services
Measured quantities from your drawings, itemised and traceable back to every marked-up sheet, ready for you to price.
- Residential Estimating
Estimates for new homes, townhouses, alterations and additions, measured from your consent drawings and laid out the way builders price.
- Commercial Estimating
Measured estimates for offices, retail, fit-outs and mixed-use buildings, packaged by trade so you can tender subcontractors cleanly.
- Material Takeoff Services
Order-ready material lists, converted from measured quantities into the lengths, sheets and packs your merchant actually sells.
Get a quote
Send your plans for a construction estimate
Upload your drawings and we will reply with a fixed fee and turnaround before any work starts. No obligation.
- — PDF, DWG and ZIP accepted
- — Fees in NZD, excluding GST
- — Prefer email? Use the link in the footer