Baltimore · Montgomery County · Prince George's · Annapolis · Frederick
Construction estimating services in Maryland
Takeoffs and priced estimates for Maryland general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, from Baltimore to the Washington suburbs and the Eastern Shore, priced to the project's ZIP code.
- Baltimore, Bethesda, Rockville, Annapolis
- Priced by ZIP code
- 24 to 48 hours
In short
Estimating in Maryland at a glance
MassBid Estimation prepares quantity takeoffs and cost estimates for construction projects across Maryland. Every trade on the drawings is measured, priced to the project's ZIP code and checked twice, and the package is typically delivered in 24 to 48 hours. Recent Maryland work includes demolition for an education building in Baltimore and a general contractor estimate for a building in Bethesda.
- Markets
- Baltimore and its suburbs, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, Annapolis, Frederick, Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore
- Recent Maryland work
- Education building demolition in Baltimore, a general contractor package in Bethesda
- Maryland cost drivers
- Washington-area labor rates, older building stock, state prevailing wage, Chesapeake Bay stormwater rules
- Licensing
- Home improvement work needs a Maryland Home Improvement Commission license; plumbing, HVACR and electrical are licensed by state boards
- Turnaround
- 24 to 48 hours on most projects
- Checked by
- A separate QA team, twice on every job
- Team
- 20+ in-house estimators, typically 7 to 10 years in the trade
- Quote
- Free, usually back in about 20 minutes
Baltimore · Walk-through
Half of Maryland prices like Washington, and the other half is taking old buildings apart.
Montgomery and Prince George's counties share a labor market with the District, so Bethesda and Rockville bid at some of the highest rates on the East Coast. Baltimore has one of the oldest building stocks in the country, and much of its work starts with demolition.
Public work brings Maryland's own prevailing wage rules, and every site drains to the Chesapeake Bay. Four things decide whether a Maryland estimate holds.
Four things a Maryland estimate has to get right
01 · The teardown
Demolition measured, not guessed
On a Baltimore education building we estimated, selective demolition produced 82 cubic yards of debris, about 34 tons, and five dumpster loads.
What changes
Demolition is taken off item by item, with debris volume, weight and haul-off calculated.
02 · The labor
Washington-area rates in the suburbs
Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring price close to the District. The same scope in Hagerstown or Salisbury does not.
What changes
Labor is priced at local rates for the project's ZIP code.
03 · The wages
State and federal wage rules
Maryland has its own prevailing wage law for state-funded public work, and federal jobs carry Davis-Bacon rates. A private-work labor rate underprices both.
What changes
Labor is priced at the wage determination for the job, with fringes added.
04 · The water
Stormwater and the Bay
Maryland's stormwater rules and the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area add site work: bioretention, pervious paving and erosion control.
What changes
Site and stormwater quantities are measured from the civil drawings as designed.
Maryland markets
Four Maryland markets, priced separately
Each prices on its own labor and supplier base.
Baltimore metro
Baltimore City and County, Howard and Anne Arundel counties: renovation and demolition of older buildings, schools, healthcare and port-related work.
Washington suburbs
Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring and Prince George's County: offices, apartments, federal and institutional work at Washington-area rates.
Central and Western Maryland
Frederick, Hagerstown and Cumberland: distribution, manufacturing and residential work.
Annapolis and the Eastern Shore
Annapolis, Salisbury and Ocean City: state government, coastal and hospitality work in flood zones.
Real Maryland figures
What recent Maryland projects cost, by trade
Trade costs from estimates we delivered on Maryland projects.
The Bethesda job shows how the cost of a small building gathers in a few trades: concrete and plumbing alone made up more than half of it.
Figures are trade cost before overhead, profit, contingency and tax, from the delivered estimates. Per-square-foot figures are per square foot of building, or of site for site work. They are specific to those projects and are not a price guide.
Real jobs, not a price list. Each figure comes from one project, priced for its own ZIP code and that client's wages, overhead and profit. Prices change by region and over time. Yours will be priced for your location.
| Maryland project and trade | Cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Building in Bethesda, Montgomery County, 3,310 sq ft: all trades | $286,919 | $86.68 |
| Same Bethesda job: concrete | $102,285 | $30.90 |
| Same Bethesda job: plumbing | $67,466 | $20.38 |
| Same Bethesda job: finishes | $55,533 | $16.78 |
| Education building, Baltimore, 8,259 sq ft: selective demolition | $46,845 | $5.67 |
Full sample
Read a full sample, page by page
Demolition, from a finished job: a education building, 8,260 sq ft in Maryland. Open it full screen, scroll through all 3 pages and zoom in on any line.
This is one real job, shown as an example. It was built to that client's own specification: their wage rates, labor style, type of pricing, and overhead and profit. Prices also change by region and over time, so yours will be priced for your location.
Want a current sample in your own trade or specialty, or have a question? Use the contact form, email info@massbidestimation.com or call (832) 356-4237.
Trades and cities
Services with Maryland work to show
Demolition
The Baltimore education building, item by item, with debris volume.
Demolition estimatingGeneral contractor estimating
Every trade on the Bethesda building, from concrete to electrical.
GC estimatingConcrete
Concrete was the largest trade on the Bethesda job.
Concrete estimatingPlumbing
Piping, fixtures and equipment, priced to the ZIP code.
Plumbing estimating
Maryland cities we price
- Baltimore
- Towson
- Columbia
- Ellicott City
- Glen Burnie
- Owings Mills
- Annapolis
- Bethesda
- Rockville
- Silver Spring
- Gaithersburg
- Germantown
- College Park
- Laurel
- Bowie
- Waldorf
- Frederick
- Hagerstown
- Salisbury
- Ocean City
Pricing data
How a Maryland project is priced
Quantities are priced from our own pricing database, built with local vendors across the United States. The estimator enters the project's ZIP code and gets current material prices for that part of Maryland.
Material prices change from region to region and from month to month, so a price book or a national average is out of date before the bid goes in.
Priced by ZIP code
Current local material prices for the place the job is built, not a national average.
Updated by vendors
Local vendors update their prices in the database as they change.
Labor as you bid it
Union, open shop, or Davis-Bacon and prevailing wage rates with fringes.
How one line item is priced
- 01Quantitymeasured from your drawings
- 02× Material pricelocal vendor price for the ZIP code
- 03+ Laborhours × the rate you bid with
- 04= Line totalrolled up by CSI division
How it works
From Maryland drawings to a finished estimate
Send the drawings
Plans, specifications and addenda, with the project address or ZIP code, the bid date and any bid form or template you have to fill in.
Free quote
We review the set and reply with a quote and a delivery date, usually within about 20 minutes.
Takeoff, pricing and two QA reviews
Quantities are measured on the drawings and priced to the project's ZIP code. A separate QA team checks the quantities against the plans, then the priced estimate.
Delivery and revisions
The package typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours. Addenda and revisions are free, with no limit and no time limit, and are handled on priority.
The work is done in-house by more than 20 estimators, typically with 7 to 10 years of industry experience.
What it costs
Estimating prices for Maryland projects
- Single project
- From $199. Simple scopes typically run $100 to $250.
- Larger buildings
- Typically $200 to $500. Large or multi-building projects are quoted individually.
- Monthly plan
- From $1,499 for 10 to 15 projects, for contractors who bid every week.
Maryland contractors who do not keep a full-time estimator use us for outsourced estimating: send the drawings when a bid comes up and pay per project.
Every job is quoted individually from the drawings, and the quote is free. See all pricing
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
Maryland construction estimating FAQ
Yes. We estimate projects in Baltimore, Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, Columbia, Annapolis, Frederick, Hagerstown, Salisbury and the rest of the state, each priced to the project's ZIP code.
On an 8,259 square foot education building in Baltimore, selective demolition came to $46,845 in trade cost, or $5.67 per square foot, with about 82 cubic yards of debris. Demolition cost depends on what is removed and how it is hauled, so it is calculated from the drawings.
On a 3,310 square foot building in Bethesda that we estimated for a general contractor, trade cost was $286,919, or $86.68 per square foot, before overhead and profit. Concrete was $30.90 and plumbing $20.38 per square foot.
Yes. Clearing, stripping topsoil, excavation, grading, fill and erosion and sediment control are taken off from the site and grading plans, with the labor and equipment priced to the project's ZIP code. Stormwater work for the Chesapeake Bay rules is measured as drawn.
Every item on the demolition plans is measured: partitions, ceilings and flooring by area, doors and fixtures by count. Then the debris volume, a void factor and the number of dumpsters are calculated. Our guide on how to estimate a demolition job walks through the Baltimore education building line by line.
Yes. Labor is priced at the wage determination for the project, with fringe benefits added, on federal work and on state-funded projects that carry Maryland prevailing wages.
Yes. Suppliers and subcontractors can order quantities only, measured from the drawings and returned with marked-up plans.
Both. General contractors get every trade on the drawings; subcontractors get their own trade isolated and returned in the general contractor's format. Suppliers get quantities only.
Yes. This page shows a full sample from a finished job (demolition, for a education building, 8,260 sq ft in Maryland), which you can open full screen and read page by page. It was built to that client's own specification, so the wage rates, pricing and overhead and profit are theirs. Ask us for a current sample in your own trade.
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 part of Maryland, and 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.
Yes. The estimate is delivered as an editable Excel workbook with the formulas built in. Change any quantity, rate or markup and the whole estimate recalculates. If overhead and profit was set at 25% and you want 30%, change that one cell and every total updates, so you can adjust your number minutes before the bid is due without sending it back to us.
As many as you need. Every revision is free, including addenda, scope changes and pricing updates, however many times you come back, and there is no time limit. Revisions are handled on priority and are typically returned within an hour to a few hours, depending on the size of the change.
Most packages are delivered in 24 to 48 hours, depending on the size, scope and complexity of the job. The quote is free, usually comes back in about 20 minutes, and states the exact delivery time.
A single project starts at $199, and simple scopes typically run $100 to $250. Larger buildings typically run $200 to $500. Every estimate is built to the client's own specification, and revisions are free.
Other service areas and services
Bidding a Maryland project? Send the drawings.
Free quote in about 20 minutes. Takeoffs and estimates typically in 24 to 48 hours, priced to the project's Maryland ZIP code and built to your format, with free revisions with no limit.