GC estimating software
General contractor estimating software, built for the bids you actually write.
Most GC estimating software was built for commercial shops with full-time estimators. ScopeGauge is for the residential GC and the remodeling shop writing bids at the kitchen table on Sunday night. Describe the scope, review the multi-trade line items, and edit every number.
14 days free. No credit card. No commitment.
Built for the jobs you already price every week
Describe the job the way you would explain it to your crew. ScopeGauge writes the line items, prices the materials, and hands you a proposal you can send before lunch. You stay in charge of every number.
- Kitchen and bath remodels - demo, rough trades, drywall, tile, cabinets, trim, paint
- Additions - foundation, framing, envelope, mechanicals, finishes - broken out for the owner and the loan
- Whole-home renovations with multi-trade coordination
- Decks and outdoor projects - framing, decking, railings, electrical, permits
- Insurance restoration scopes aligned with adjuster line items
- Tenant fit-outs and light commercial with sub bid line items
Plain English in, multi-trade line items out
Describe the scope and the conditions. ScopeGauge organizes the line items by trade so subs can read it and the owner can follow it. No more taping bids together at the end.
Calibrated to your shop
Professional and Business plans calibrate from your completed jobs. Mark bids won or lost, and ScopeGauge updates pricing for your market, customer base, and the trades you actually run.
Subcontractor bid requests, in one workflow
Business plan supports subcontractor bid requests inside the same workflow that produces your owner-facing proposal. No more pasting Word docs together at midnight.
What does this look like in practice?
Here's what a typical scope looks like going in, and the line items it might come back with. Every number is editable before the proposal goes out.
You type something like
"Kitchen remodel, 1970s ranch, 12x14, walls staying, owner-supplied cabinets, new tile floor, new island, electrical updates for dishwasher/disposal, paint."
ScopeGauge could break that into line items like
- Permit + inspection coordination
- Demo: cabinets, countertop, tile floor, appliance disconnects
- Dumpster delivery + haul
- Plumbing rough: disposal line, dishwasher supply, ice-maker water
- Electrical rough: dedicated circuits for disposal, dishwasher, microwave, range
- Drywall patch at penetrations, sand + prime
- Floor tile install (allowance for tile, grout, underlayment)
- Cabinet install (owner-supplied - labor only)
- Countertop coordination - measure / template
- Paint: ceiling, walls, trim
- Final electrical: outlets, switches, undercabinet lighting
- Final plumbing: faucet, disposal, dishwasher, water test
- Punch list allowance (~5%)
- Project supervision
- Materials markup
Illustrative. Every estimate is editable before send. The more detail you give the input, the stronger the first draft. ScopeGauge isn't producing a fixed catalog answer, it's building a starting point you can review and adjust.
What ScopeGauge does, and what it does not do
We'd rather be clear about scope than oversell. Here's where ScopeGauge earns its keep, and where you should pair it with something else.
Built for
- ✓ Multi-trade scope description to editable line items
- ✓ Owner-facing proposals on your letterhead (Pro/Business)
- ✓ Calibrating to your shop's pricing across trades over time (Pro/Business)
- ✓ Coordinating sub bids inside one workflow (Business plan)
- ✓ Aligning insurance restoration scopes with adjuster line items
Not built for
- - Blueprint takeoff - pair with Bluebeam, PlanSwift
- - Project management / scheduling - pair with Buildertrend, CoConstruct, JobNimbus
- - Permit submission - you file with the AHJ
- - Lien waiver tracking - accounting workflow
- - Accounting / invoicing - pair with QuickBooks, Sage, etc.
- - Long-term sub management - pair with your PM tool
The line items that quietly kill margins
Every experienced estimator has been bitten by these. ScopeGauge surfaces them so they don't end up as "I'll eat it" at the end of the job. You decide whether to bill, absorb, or skip.
Missing the permit fee AND permit-pulling time
Fee is one line. The day at the AHJ is another. Two lines, two margins.
Forgetting porta-potty + dumpster on residential remodels
On a 6-week job: porta-potty $150-300, dumpster swaps $200-400. If unpriced, the customer assumed it was included.
Missing the punch list as a budgeted line item
Every job has one. 5% of subtotal is a reasonable allowance. Without it you eat the back-and-forth at the end.
Under-pricing demolition labor
Demo gets called "the easy part" until it is not. A 1970s kitchen with cast iron and old tile is 2-3 days for two guys, plus disposal.
Missing temporary protection
Dust walls, floor protection, masking - labor and materials. Customer gets furious if you skip it.
"Owner-supplied" allowance buffer
The homeowner supplies tile until tile day, when they're 60 sf short and you're making the supply-house run. An allowance keeps that from coming out of your margin.
“I've been estimating for 22 years. Took me 4 hours on that kitchen remodel. ScopeGauge did it in 12 minutes. Most of the line items were spot on.”
General contractor, Boulder
Pricing
Three plans, all starting with a 14-day free trial. No credit card to start. $199 Starter, $349 Professional, $499 Business per month. See what's in each plan →
Common questions
Is ScopeGauge a takeoff tool?
How does it handle multi-trade scope?
Can I send proposals on my own letterhead?
How is this different from spreadsheets or Buildertrend or PlanSwift?
What does it cost?
Is my pricing data private?
Stop spending evenings on estimates.
Request beta access and we'll get you a code within 1-2 business days. Or take the Bid-Off Challenge first with a job you already priced. No signup required.