Free Construction Estimating Software
Price a new build or addition from site work to trim with real line items, then send a PDF the client can accept online.
The builder below opens with a sample construction job, 12x16 room addition, foundation to drywall: 29 lines, $17,398.30 in all. Labor is the BLS OEWS May 2025 U.S. median wage for construction laborers ($22.66) plus 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment, and overhead and profit is 20%, the same way our calculators price. Change any line. Nothing is saved until you choose to.
$30.59/hr: the U.S. median wage for construction laborers ($22.66, BLS OEWS May 2025), plus 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment. A ZIP switches to the local wage. Change it under More options.
$364.25
$237.47
$1,696.69
$94.87
$212.62
$1,284.84
$437.90
$1,185.91
$404.90
$665.04
$174.32
$1,299.40
$448.94
$124.69
$622.60
$133.39
$962.83
$854.12
$1,291.08
$589.82
$152.59
$430.00
$378.95
$1,166.18
$539.15
$210.30
$224.12
$624.00
$587.33
Add from the construction list (45 items, estimated national prices)
The construction item library (45 lines)
Material per unit is our national estimate (estimated); labor hours per unit are crew-hour productivity figures. Both are defaults you overwrite with your own numbers.
| Item | Unit | Material | Labor hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site clearing and grubbing | sq ft | $0 | 0.006 |
| Rough grading, machine | sq ft | $0 | 0.004 |
| Excavation, footing trench | linear ft | $3 | 0.08 |
| Backfill and compaction | cu yd | $4 | 0.3 |
| Silt fence erosion control | linear ft | $2 | 0.03 |
| Temporary power and water hookup | ea | $450 | 4 |
| Batter boards and layout | ea | $120 | 6 |
| Foundation stem wall, 8 in CMU | sq ft | $8 | 0.14 |
| Crawl space vent, 8x16 | ea | $28 | 0.5 |
| Sill plate, PT 2x6, with anchors | linear ft | $3 | 0.05 |
| Floor framing, 2x10 @ 16 in | sq ft | $4 | 0.045 |
| Subfloor, 3/4 in T&G OSB | sq ft | $1 | 0.018 |
| Wall framing, 2x6 @ 16 in, 9 ft | linear ft | $14 | 0.35 |
| Wall framing, 2x4 @ 16 in interior | linear ft | $9 | 0.25 |
| Header, LVL 3.5x11.25 in | linear ft | $22 | 0.2 |
| Roof trusses, 24 in o.c., set by crane | sq ft | $4 | 0.02 |
| Roof sheathing, 7/16 in OSB | sq ft | $1 | 0.015 |
| Wall sheathing, 7/16 in OSB | sq ft | $1 | 0.016 |
| House wrap, taped | sq ft | $0 | 0.006 |
| Synthetic underlayment | sq ft | $0 | 0.005 |
| Architectural asphalt shingles | sq ft | $2 | 0.02 |
| Ridge vent | linear ft | $5 | 0.08 |
| Vinyl window, double-hung, 3x5 | ea | $340 | 2 |
| Exterior door, fiberglass, prehung | ea | $620 | 3 |
| Interior door, hollow core, prehung | ea | $165 | 1.5 |
| Vinyl siding with trim | sq ft | $2 | 0.035 |
| Fiber cement lap siding | sq ft | $4 | 0.05 |
| Soffit and fascia, aluminum | linear ft | $8 | 0.12 |
| Gutters, 5 in K-style, with downspouts | linear ft | $6 | 0.08 |
| Batt insulation, R-21 walls | sq ft | $1 | 0.01 |
| Blown attic insulation, R-49 | sq ft | $1 | 0.008 |
| Drywall, 1/2 in, hung and finished | sq ft | $1 | 0.03 |
| Drywall, 5/8 in type X ceiling | sq ft | $1 | 0.034 |
| Interior trim, baseboard 3.25 in | linear ft | $2 | 0.05 |
| Interior trim, door and window casing | linear ft | $2 | 0.06 |
| Deck framing, PT 2x8 with ledger | sq ft | $7 | 0.09 |
| Composite decking with hidden fasteners | sq ft | $10 | 0.08 |
| Porch railing, 36 in composite | linear ft | $48 | 0.35 |
| Garage door, 16x7 insulated steel | ea | $1,450 | 4 |
| Attic access, pull-down stair | ea | $260 | 2 |
| Final grade and seed | sq ft | $0 | 0.006 |
| Construction dumpster, 30 yd | ea | $520 | 0 |
| Portable toilet, monthly | ea | $165 | 0 |
| Builder risk insurance allowance | ea | $900 | 0 |
| Project supervision | hr | $0 | 1 |
Local labor rate for construction laborers
BLS publishes the median wage for construction laborers by metro and state. Enter a ZIP to see the local figure the builder should be anchored to.
National median for construction laborers (SOC 47-2061, BLS OEWS May 2025): $23/hr.
From the $22.66 national median for construction laborers, add what your construction business pays on top of wages, its overhead and its profit to get the rate each billed hour has to carry.
Enter your payroll costs, overhead and profit to see the billed rate your numbers need.
Source: labor at $22.66/hr, the BLS OEWS May 2025 national median hourly wage for construction laborers, SOC 47-2061. The builder adds 35% for payroll taxes, insurance and equipment.
How to price construction work
Price by assembly, not by the hour
A framing estimate that reads "labor: 80 hours" gets argued over; one that reads "2x6 exterior walls, 186 linear ft at $14 material and 0.35 crew-hours per foot" gets signed. Break the job into assemblies that match how you buy and how you build: floor system, walls, roof, dry-in, exterior finishes, interior finishes. Each assembly carries its own material unit cost and labor hours per unit, so a change in scope moves one line instead of forcing a re-estimate.
Labor hours per unit is the number to guard
Material prices are easy to look up; productivity is what separates a profitable builder from one who works for free. Track actual hours on three jobs and replace the library defaults with your crew's numbers. A 2x6 wall at 0.35 crew-hours per linear foot assumes a three-person crew with a nail gun and pre-cut studs; a two-person crew on a windy site runs 0.5 or more.
Where the money hides
Site work, temporary facilities, dumpsters, portable toilets, builder's risk insurance and supervision are the lines most small builders forget and then eat. Put them in every estimate as their own rows so the client sees them and so your margin survives. A 30-yard dumpster and a monthly toilet rental are $700 a month that never appear on a lumber takeoff.
Compared with spreadsheets and full suites
Spreadsheets work until the second change order, when formulas break and totals stop matching the PDF you already sent. Full suites such as Buildertrend or Procore add scheduling, RFIs and client portals, which pays back only when you run several crews. American Build Rate sits between: the estimate math is the same engine on every page, the library is yours to edit, and the free plan covers five tracked sends a month with unlimited drafts. What the field-service apps cost, checked on their own pricing pages, is on our contractor software pricing page.
Pricing
Free: unlimited drafts, 5 tracked sends a month, PDFs with a one-line footer. Pro $13/mo or $130/yr: unlimited sends, no footer, 4 people on one price book, the website widget. Details on the pricing page.
Questions from builders and framing crews
Can I estimate a whole house with this?
Yes. The construction library covers site work, foundation stem walls, floor and wall framing, roof, dry-in, siding, insulation, drywall, trim, decks and general conditions. Add your own assemblies for anything regional such as ICF or post-frame.
How do I handle allowances?
Add a line with the allowance amount as material and zero labor, and name it clearly ("Lighting fixture allowance, $2,500"). Allowances carry markup like any other line unless you set the line markup to zero.
Does it track change orders?
Not as a separate document yet. Edit the estimate, save, and re-send; the share link shows the current version. Change-order documents are on the roadmap.
Related: Construction estimate template · all trades