3 Proven Methods to Estimate Construction Labor and Materials (2024)

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Want to estimate construction costs for labor and materials with confidence—fast? In this video, I break down three proven estimating methods you can use today to price jobs accurately, win more bids, and protect your margins. Whether you’re a general contractor or subcontractor, you’ll see how to move from guesswork to a repeatable, data-driven construction estimating system that scales.

We start with the Unit Price Method: perform a digital takeoff in PlanSwift or Bluebeam, calculate true direct labor and material costs, then add supervision, equipment, overhead, and profit. I’ll show how to pull baselines from cost books like RSMeans and National Construction Estimator—and adjust for real-world productivity (heights, lifts, access).

Short on time? Use the Budget Method to create fast, defendable ballpark numbers using cost per square foot from past, similar projects. Need something even quicker? Apply the Rule of Two: compute labor the manual way (crew × days) and multiply by two to approximate total job cost (materials + GCs + profit). These tools help you respond to last-minute bids, start negotiating sooner, and buy time to finalize a full estimate before contract.

By the end, you’ll have a practical playbook to speed up takeoffs, price with precision, and control your bid strategy—so you can close profitable work consistently.

What You’ll Learn:
✔️ A step-by-step construction estimating workflow using digital takeoff
✔️ How to calculate true direct labor and material costs (no more guessing)
✔️ Using RSMeans / National Construction Estimator to set baselines
✔️ The Budget Method for quick cost per square foot pricing
✔️ The Rule of Two to sanity-check bids under tight deadlines
✔️ How to factor supervision, general conditions, and profit correctly
✔️ Simple ways to speed up bid preparation and start negotiations faster
✔️ Building a reusable estimating spreadsheet to standardize pricing

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – How to estimate construction labor and materials accurately
00:43 – Speed matters: workflows to get bids out fast
01:00 – Digital takeoff tools (PlanSwift, Bluebeam) for accurate quantities
01:27 – Building your estimating spreadsheet: direct labor & materials
02:00 – Cost books (RSMeans, National Construction Estimator) + productivity adjusts
03:00 – Strategy #2: Budget Method using cost per square foot from past jobs
03:42 – Real example: picking a defensible $/SF for a quick ballpark
04:24 – Strategy #3: Rule of Two to approximate total job cost fast
05:00 – Use quick methods to start negotiations while you refine the estimate
05:11 – Recap + free training to grow your construction business



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ABOUT DANIEL QUINDEMIL
Daniel is a Construction Expert and Consultant in the areas of construction sales, estimating, and project management. He has estimated and/or managed over $3 Billion in projects. In 2015, he founded I AM Builders, a construction estimating and sales company dedicated to helping contractors grow their businesses. Since then, I AM Builders has worked with over 3,000 clients nationwide.
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