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Construction Cost Estimating · Houston, TX · All 50 States

Construction estimating
you can bid on.

Quantity takeoffs and division-by-division cost estimates delivered in 24 to 48 hours, priced by ZIP code from our own database of current local vendor prices, not national averages.

Send Your PlansCall (832) 356-4237
4.5 on ClutchVerified client review →
24–48h
Turnaround
20+
In-house Estimators
2×
QA Reviews Per Job
ZIP
Local Pricing
Marked-up plans.pdf
Marked-up commercial elevations with each exterior finish shaded in its own color and measured
Estimate workbook.xlsx
Estimate summary by CSI division with cost per square foot, overhead and profit and a suggested bid
Checked in 2 QA reviews Editable Excel · 24–48 h

Pages from a finished job · client details removed

PlanSwift
Bluebeam Revu
On-Screen Takeoff
Primavera P6
Autodesk Revit
CSI MasterFormat
Xactimate
PlanSwift
Bluebeam Revu
On-Screen Takeoff
Primavera P6
Autodesk Revit
CSI MasterFormat
Xactimate

What we do

Construction estimating that holds up under scrutiny

Every package includes

  • Editable Excel workbook: formulas built in, so you can change any number
  • Marked-up plans: every quantity color-keyed on the drawings
  • Summary by CSI division: with a line-by-line detail sheet
  • Material list: ready to send to your supplier
  • ZIP-code pricing: current local material and labor rates
  • Unlimited free revisions: addenda and scope changes, no time limit
Get a free quote Usually back in about 20 minutes

MassBid Estimation is a construction cost estimating firm that produces quantity takeoffs and division-by-division cost estimates for contractors in all 50 states. You send drawings; we return a complete, bid-ready estimate package, typically within 24 to 48 hours.

Prices come from our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. We enter your project's ZIP code and get current material prices for that market, which the vendors update as they change, with labor priced as union, open shop or Davis-Bacon with fringes.

Every estimate and takeoff is built to the client's own specification: your scope, your template, your item numbering and the level of detail your bid calls for, including requests that are not standard.

The work is done in-house by more than 20 estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience, and reviewed twice by a separate QA team before it leaves the building. We provide estimating and takeoff services to general contractors, subcontractors, developers, owners and material suppliers, on residential, commercial and industrial projects from a single trade to buildings over $30 million.

1,000+
takeoffs and estimates delivered since 2019
20+
in-house estimators, 7–10 years typical experience
2
QA reviews on every job, by a separate team
24–48h
typical turnaround, priced by ZIP code

Real deliverables

Sample construction estimates from real jobs

Every estimate is built to the client's specification, so no two packages are identical. These sample pages show what two finished jobs looked like, with client names, addresses and title blocks removed and the quantities and costs as delivered. Click any page to enlarge.

A single-story commercial building in Texas, about 10,100 square feet, estimated as a full general-contractor package from site work to finishes.

Marked-up plans

Commercial exterior elevations with stucco, stone and trim takeoff

Each exterior finish is shaded in its own color and measured separately: stone at 460.8 sq ft, four stucco systems, sills, reveals, metal trim and control joints. The legend prints every quantity beside its color.

Estimate workbook

Commercial estimate summary by CSI division with cost per square foot

One page shows the whole job: cost and cost per square foot for each of 18 divisions, then overhead and profit, labor burden, insurance, contingency and tax down to a suggested bid, with a chart of where the money goes.

Earthwork model

Earthwork cut and fill model built from the grading plan

For site work, existing and proposed grades are modeled as surfaces and the cut and fill areas shaded separately. The volumes behind the earthwork line items come from this model, not a rule of thumb.

On this job the client received a 37-page marked-up plan set and a 29-sheet estimate workbook: a scope summary, a general summary by division, a full takeoff breakdown, and a separate priced sheet for each trade from concrete to utilities.

Want to see a past project in your own trade?

Tell us your trade (roofing, electrical, flooring, concrete, drywall, glazing), and we will send an example package from a job we have already completed, so you can judge the detail for yourself. Each one was built to that client's specification, so yours may be laid out differently.

These are examples of finished work for other projects, with client details removed. They are not an estimate of your project. For pricing on your own job, send your plans and we will reply with a free quote.

Ask for a past-project example

Client feedback

What contractors say about MassBid

Most of our work comes from repeat clients and from contractors they refer, and many send us projects every month. Here it is in their own words, with names and companies withheld under our confidentiality policy.

4.5out of 5 on Clutch
★★★★★

“Everything about MassBid Estimation is impressive.”

The team provides detailed cost breakdowns, material lists and takeoff reports, delivers on time, and communicates through virtual meetings, emails and messaging apps.

Quality
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to refer
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Assistant project manager, glazing contractor, South CarolinaVerified review on ClutchRead it on Clutch
  • The depth of their work completely blew me away because I wasn't expecting this much detail. … What really set them apart were the colored overlays that matched the takeoff sheets perfectly, which made it super fast and easy for me to review everything. … I will definitely be using them again for my upcoming projects.
    General contractor
    Client review
  • They did a wonderful job of breaking out the portion that applied to me (roofing, soffit, gutters) and putting it in the requested spreadsheet that I had to turn into the GC. It gave me a starting point when I had no idea where to start. They even did some updates for no additional charge after some more specs came out. I would definitely use them again!
    Roofing contractor, Texas
    Client review
  • All the flashings were called out correctly, the verbiage was correct, the color overlays look super clean. That's what I want.
    Regional sales manager, construction supply, Texas
    Client email
  • MassBid pulled a clean commercial takeoff for us on a tight turnaround. They broke my scope out exactly the way our GC wanted it and dropped it straight into the bid spreadsheet. Saved us a full weekend of measuring.
    General contractor
    Client review

Who we estimate for

Estimating services for contractors, subcontractors and suppliers

Capabilities

Construction estimating services

Forty-two service lines, from a single-trade quantity takeoff to a complete general contractor bid package, organized by CSI MasterFormat division. These are the ones contractors ask for most.

See all 42 services

Every service line

The workflow

How a construction estimate is built and checked

Nine steps from plans to bid day. Two of them are QA reviews by a team separate from the estimators who did the work.

  1. Plans in

    You send the drawings, specifications and scope, along with your template and any special requirements for how the estimate should be built. This is preconstruction estimating: the numbers you need before you bid or break ground.

  2. Free quote

    We review the set and send a quote and delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.

  3. Kickoff

    You approve the quote and the job goes straight to the estimating department. Payment details come with the quote.

  4. Takeoff

    An estimator measures the drawings digitally and builds the quantity takeoff, division by division.

  5. First QA review

    A separate QA team checks the takeoff against the plans. Anything flagged goes back to be corrected, then is reviewed again.

  6. Pricing

    The checked quantities are priced with material and labor rates for the project's ZIP code.

  7. Second QA review

    QA goes through the priced estimate line by line, against every note and detail you sent with the plans.

  8. Delivery

    Your MassBid contact sends the finished package, typically 24 to 48 hours after kickoff.

  9. Bid day

    Addenda and revisions are handled free through submission, so the number you bid is current.

The math

Outsourced estimating vs in-house estimator vs freelancer

Contractors have three ways to get bids priced: hire an in-house estimator, use a freelancer, or outsource to an estimating company. Here is how they compare.

  • Cost

    MassBidPer project, from $199

    In-house
    About $78,700 a year median salary, plus benefits
    Freelancer
    Hourly or per job, varies by availability

  • Turnaround

    MassBid24–48 hours on most projects

    In-house
    Limited by one person's calendar
    Freelancer
    Depends who is free that week

  • Bid-week capacity

    MassBid20+ estimators, scales with your pipeline

    In-house
    One estimator, one bid at a time
    Freelancer
    Often already booked

  • Who checks the work

    MassBidSeparate QA team, two reviews per job

    In-house
    Usually the same estimator
    Freelancer
    Usually nobody

  • Format and scope

    MassBidBuilt to your specification and template

    In-house
    Your own templates
    Freelancer
    Usually the estimator's own template

  • Pricing data

    MassBidSupplier and labor rates by ZIP code

    In-house
    Whatever subscription you fund
    Freelancer
    Estimator's own sources

  • Revisions & addenda

    MassBidFree, with no limit

    In-house
    Absorbed internally
    Freelancer
    Usually billed again

  • Cost in a slow quarter

    MassBidNone

    In-house
    Full salary regardless
    Freelancer
    None

Salary is the US median annual wage for cost estimators, $78,740 in May 2025, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. It excludes benefits, software licences and pricing-data subscriptions, which a full-time hire also requires.

See estimating prices

Service areas

Based in Houston, estimating in all 50 states

Every estimate is prepared from your drawing set and priced to the project's ZIP code, so a job in Miami, Los Angeles or Buffalo gets the same package and turnaround as one down the road from our Houston office.

MassBid Estimation
1717 Turning Basin Dr, Houston, TX 77029
(832) 356-4237 · info@massbidestimation.com
All service areas

After delivery

An editable Excel estimate workbook and unlimited free revisions

  • Formulas built in

    An Excel workbook you can change yourself

    The estimate arrives as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change a quantity, a rate or a markup and every total follows. Move overhead and profit from 25% to 30% and the whole bid recalculates on the spot.

  • No waiting

    Adjust your bid at the last minute

    If something changes just before the deadline, you do not have to send the estimate back and wait. Open the workbook, change the number and submit. The control stays with you.

  • Priority turnaround

    Unlimited free revisions

    Addenda, scope changes and pricing updates are all free, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and typically come back within an hour to a few hours.

Questions

Construction estimating FAQ

From our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. An estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that market, and the vendors update their prices as they change. Labor is priced as union or open shop, or at Davis-Bacon rates with fringes on government work.

Simple single-trade scopes typically run $100 to $250 and standard multi-trade projects $200 to $500. Larger or more complex work is quoted individually. The quote is free and usually comes back in about 20 minutes.

Most estimates and takeoffs are delivered within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your plans. Very large plan sets and CPM schedules are given a delivery date with the quote.

Whatever your bid calls for. Every estimate or takeoff is built to your specification: your scope, your template and your level of detail, including requests that are not standard. A typical package is a priced estimate workbook with a summary by CSI division and a line-by-line detail sheet, a material list, and marked-up plans in PDF with each scope color-keyed to the quantities. Native takeoff files and a formatted bid proposal are added where the job calls for them.

MassBid has more than 20 in-house estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience. Every job gets two QA reviews by a separate team: one on the takeoff quantities and one on the priced estimate, checked against the notes you sent.

All questions

Have a bid due? Send the plans.

Email your drawings and get a free quote in about 20 minutes and a complete estimate within 24 to 48 hours.

Request an EstimateCall (832) 356-4237