Best residential remodeling construction estimating software

If you are running a remodeling or renovation company, then you probably know the biggest pain points are:

1. Quotes/estimates
2. Re-estimates
3. Change orders

These are the things that can kill any contracting company. So, what's the solution? Is there anything better than Excel, email, and a Word document?

What about all the software technology that's simply digitizing the same bad process? At Bolster, we reinvented the way residential construction services are bought and sold. We didn't just digitize the same process.

For the first time, the remodeling or renovation company can provide an accurate quote in minutes, the consumer can interact and make changes to it while the price changes in real-time (consumer-led re-estimates), and change orders are done with a click of a button. The best part is that the entire software platform is free and it is meant to be a "business in a box" for contractors. This is not to be confused with BuilderTrend, Co-Construct, Joist-App, or any other construction estimating software.

Most other construction technology companies are simply digitizing the same process, which doesn't help. It still takes a long time to create an accurate quote, your customers can't interact in real-time with it, and changing orders is still horrible.

With Bolster, the quote engine is built with a new approach. All you need to do is enter in dimensions for each room and every single line item is updated and the price changes in real time. You can quote an entire home renovation/remodeling project in less than 10 minutes, when it used to take hours. And the best part is that it is foolproof, so you can send any salesperson to do it and be confident the quote will still be accurate.

How is this possible?

The general idea of the quote engine is that all costs should be broken down to a unit price. Most contractors aren’t used to this but generally speaking, every cost should be broken down this way, no matter how custom or complex. The reason for this is that once each cost is broken down into a unit price, producing an accurate quote requires only adding in the dimensions of the room or area. It is hard to fathom this is even possible but the following will help you understand how it works. Each line item should have a unit cost associated with it. For example, for tile floors, you might have a unit cost of $15 per square foot for both material and installation. Bolster lets you select if it is subcontracted or not, choose the vendor, and then you can easily save that line item. Assemblies are line items grouped.

The magical and proprietary piece of Bolster's quoting engine is the idea that assemblies can live in other assemblies and there’s no limit to this hierarchy of assemblies. This allows the contractor total flexibility and allows them to build the quote in a way that makes sense to the consumer. Let’s pretend you specialize in renovating kitchens. You might start with a parent assembly called “Custom Kitchen,” and inside this assembly, you might have the following assemblies:

1. General Items
2. Countertop
3. Backsplash
4. Cabinets
5. Flooring
6. Sink
7. Wet Bar
8. Appliances

Each one of these assemblies could have multiple assemblies within them as well. The point is that you can group all the costs associated with something that makes sense to the consumer. And you can save these assemblies to use later on in any other assembly.

Most contractors will add “upgrades” within assemblies or “optional items”. So you might offer a standard type of tile within flooring but you can show multiple other options for your customer to upgrade with pictures and details. The concept of grouping items into assemblies and saving assemblies is very powerful. For example, now that you have a “Wet Bar” assembly saved with all the associated costs broken down per unit, you could re-use that assembly when quoting a basement renovation if the consumer wants a wet bar.

Managing cost changes updates items or assemblies wherever they’re found in any hierarchy so system-wide changes instantly permeate. Remember, the entire point of Bolster is that once you are done setting up your line items grouped into assemblies, all that is required is adding in dimensions for your new project that you are quoting, and in minutes you can have an accurate, interactive quote that your consumer will love.

If you happen to encounter something different when quoting a project, simply take time to add the unit costs and group it into an assembly that you save. Next time you encounter something similar, simply add that assembly to the new quote.

The more you use Bolster, the easier it gets for all future quotes, re-estimates, and change orders! Setting up Bolster properly for your contracting business will take upfront time and effort. But the payback will be huge! Imagine being able to accurately quote new projects, no matter how complex, in minutes instead of hours. Imagine your customer having the ability to upgrade or add optional items to your quote on the fly and seeing the price change in real time.

There’s nothing like it in the construction industry,, and if you put in a little bit of effort now, the result will be a game-changer for your business.