Home / Services & Pricing

Services and pricing

Flat prices. No charge until I've checked your files. Turnaround is counted in business days from approved, complete files.

Finished sq ft is taken from the plans. Garage area doesn't count toward the size limit, but the garage is in the takeoff. Detached garages, shops, barns, additions, decks and light commercial buildings are quoted from your plans and sized like these tiers. Large jobs are quoted. Projects with no wood in them aren't a fit. Upgrade a Framing-Only Takeoff to the Full Material Takeoff within 7 days and the framing fee is credited.
Service	Price	What you get	Turnaround
Quote Check	$150	Written. Up to 3 quotes compared, with a one-page summary of the gaps, terms and what to ask each vendor. Credited toward a Bid Review if you upgrade within 7 days.	2 business days
Bid Review, up to 3 quotes	$450	Any material quotes (lumber or panel package, concrete, roofing, siding, windows and more): workbook comparison, priced gaps, adjusted totals, 1-page summary, vendor questions	5 business days
Bid Review, 4 quotes	$550	Same, with a 4th quote	5 business days
Framing-Only Takeoff, up to 3,000 finished sq ft	$150	Framing lumber, sheathing, headers and beams, structural hardware, in an Excel workbook. Numbered wall list (sheeted vs unsheeted) and wall-number PDF. Every line shows its plan source and a confidence flag. Questions list.	2-3 business days
Framing-Only Takeoff, 3,001-4,000 sq ft	$225	Same	2-3 business days
Framing-Only Takeoff, 4,001-5,000 sq ft	$300	Same	2-3 business days
Framing-Only Takeoff, over 5,000 sq ft, duplex and up, multifamily, light commercial	from $500	Same, per building	Quoted per job
Full Material Takeoff, up to 3,000 finished sq ft	$500 launch: $400, first 3 orders	Every building material, foundation to shingles, in an Excel workbook. Every line shows its plan sheet, detail or schedule, the dimension or count used, and a confidence flag. Wall-number PDF. Questions list.	2-3 business days
Full Material Takeoff, 3,001-4,000 sq ft	$650	Same	2-3 business days
Full Material Takeoff, 4,001-5,000 sq ft	$800	Same	2-3 business days
Full Material Takeoff, over 5,000 sq ft, duplex and up, multifamily, light commercial	from $1,200	Same, per building	Quoted per job
Rush (takeoffs up to 5,000 sq ft)	+30%	Delivered within 1 business day. Only if my schedule allows; I confirm before approving your order.	1 business day

Bidding a lot of jobs? Ask about a corporate account. Builders who send regular work get volume pricing. Email me to set it up (hello@secondlookbids.com).

Quote Check · $150

Send up to 3 quotes and the plans PDF. I compare them and send a one-page written summary covering:

The biggest scope gaps between the quotes
Deposit, payment terms, price hold and lead time
What to ask each vendor

Delivered by email in 2 business days. No workbook, no revisions. If you upgrade to a Bid Review within 7 days, the $150 counts toward the $450.

Bid Review · $450 / $550

Every quote entered as written in my bid comparison workbook
Each scope line marked Included, Excluded or Unclear, by trade. A lumber or panel package: sheathing, headers, beams and posts, hardware, fasteners, blocking. Roofing: underlayment, ice and water, drip edge, flashing, vents, ridge cap. Concrete: rebar, chairs, vapor barrier, anchor bolts. Siding and windows: wrap, trim, corners, flashing tape, jamb extensions. Plus engineering, delivery and revisions.
My own local cost estimate added for every excluded or unclear building-material item. Engineering, revisions and other non-material items are flagged, not estimated.
Terms compared: deposit, payment, price hold, lead time, drawing revisions
Delivery compared using each vendor's stated terms. Anything not stated is flagged as unclear.
Adjusted total, a unit cost where it fits ($ per wall LF, per square, per yard) and rank for each quote
1-page summary and a written list of questions for each vendor
Quantity spot-check against the plans on the biggest line of each quote. If vendors are more than 10% apart, I flag it.

One free update if a vendor revises within 14 days and the plans haven't changed. After that, $200 per updated quote.

Takeoffs · Framing-Only from $150 · Full Material from $500

Both back in 2-3 business days from approved, complete files, or within 1 business day for +30% if my schedule allows. Larger and multifamily quoted.

Every building material, foundation to shingles (Excel): excavation and fill materials, concrete and rebar, framing, sheathing, windows and doors, roofing, siding and trim, soffit and fascia, insulation, drywall, gutters, decks and porches
A source on every line: plan sheet, detail or schedule tag, the dimension or count used, and a High / Med / Low confidence flag. You can check any number in seconds.
Questions list: anything not on your plans or spec sheet is marked Low and asked, not guessed
Wall-number PDF: every wall tagged on your plan sheets. Red = sheeted, blue = unsheeted, green = party/fire walls.

Framing-Only Takeoff ($150 / $225 / $300 / from $500): the same sourced workbook, limited to framing lumber, sheathing, headers and beams, and hardware, plus the wall-number PDF. Upgrade to the full takeoff within 7 days and the framing fee is credited.

Materials only. No labor, no equipment. My own errors reported within 30 days are fixed free. One minor plan revision (under 10% of any trade's quantities) within 30 days included. Bigger revisions are quoted.

I check every line myself before it goes out. You're paying for a framer's read of the plans.

Not included, on any tier

Labor of any kind, and construction equipment (excavators, cranes, lifts, pumps, bracing equipment). I estimate building materials only.
Structural engineering, code or plan review, shear or load design
Truss design or truss counts (roof or floor). Those come from your truss supplier. I note truss type and spacing.
Material pricing as a quote
Any guarantee of a vendor's price or schedule
Site visits
Contacting or negotiating with vendors for you
Contract or legal review of quote terms
Plumbing, electrical and HVAC. Interior finishes not on your spec sheet (flooring, cabinets, counters, paint, fixtures).
CAD or BIM files. PDF only.

Payment

You're never charged when you submit files. I check them first. Once they're complete and approved, I email you an invoice (card or bank transfer, through Stripe). Work starts when it's paid.

Full refund if you cancel before I start. After that, I fix my own errors free, and if I can't fix one, or I'm more than 5 business days late without your OK, you get your money back. Refund terms.

Start an Order