Residential builders don’t lose work because they can’t frame a wall – they lose it because the numbers on the quote don’t add up for the client or for their own margin. Mastering quoting building jobs is the decisive skill that separates consistently profitable crews from those forever chasing the next pay-day. At CountBricks we’ve spent years analysing why quotes win or lose and have baked every lesson into our AI-driven estimating workspace.
Spreadsheets, sticky notes and late-night calculator sessions once formed the backbone of small-builder quoting. They still dominate many sites today, yet they come with hidden costs:
• Hours spent searching merchant websites or phoning yards for today’s timber price
• Manual take-offs that miss items, forcing expensive callbacks
• Generic quote documents that fail to build client confidence
• No central database of previous jobs to benchmark real labour hours
Market-leading builders have moved on because clients expect more clarity and speed. That is exactly where CountBricks steps in.
On site or in the van, open the CountBricks mobile app and start talking. Describe the extension, loft conversion or complete new build. Our voice engine converts your words into a structured scope, applies pre-built assemblies and calculates quantities in seconds.
CountBricks connects directly to leading UK merchants and regional suppliers. Timber, plasterboard, fixings and fittings are priced live, so every line reflects today’s cost – not last quarter’s list sheet.
Residential tasks such as first-fix carpentry, pitched roofing or kitchen installation have pre-loaded labour rates derived from thousands of CountBricks projects. You can adjust crew size, productivity or day rates and lock in accurate man-hour totals instantly.
Upload PDFs and let our AI take-off tool trace walls, doors and joists while you grab a coffee. Measurements flow straight into the estimate so nothing is missed and no dimension is keyed twice.
When the numbers are right, presentation closes the deal. CountBricks generates branded, client-ready quote documents that clearly explain inclusions, exclusions and payment milestones. Sign-off pages, terms and a professional cover sheet are added automatically.
Reliability beats speed when margins are tight. With CountBricks you standardise the entire estimating journey.
1. Capture the brief through a live voice session with the client present
2. Import or take-off plans using AI to extract quantities for walls, slabs and roofs
3. Review applied assemblies and tweak materials to match specification
4. Adjust labour productivity to reflect crew experience or site access
5. Add subcontractor allowances pulled from your approved supplier list
6. Factor overhead and profit percentages then lock the budget
7. Generate the branded quote and email directly from CountBricks.com/services
8. Upon acceptance, convert the estimate into an invoice schedule with one click
• Keep a preferred-supplier material list inside CountBricks so the software always uses your negotiated rates
• Build template projects for lofts, extensions and refurbishments – future quotes become 70 % faster
• Use our “Scope Variations” tool to show clients cost impacts of upgraded finishes on the spot
• Track historical labour variance in CountBricks.com/portfolio to refine allowances every quarter
• Export estimate lines to your accounting package to maintain job-cost transparency
Successful quoting building jobs in residential construction is no longer about who can type fastest into a spreadsheet. It’s about real-time data, AI speed and presentation that wins trust. CountBricks equips builders with all three. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start winning, explore CountBricks.com/consultation and book a demo today.
BrightBuild Carpentry, a three-person team in Manchester, had typically needed four evenings to prepare a loft conversion quote. By the time figures were ready, prospects had already booked a larger firm. After adopting CountBricks, their workflow changed:
• Site meeting recorded through the CountBricks voice module – scope captured in 15 minutes
• PDF plans uploaded from the client’s architect – AI take-off completed in 6 minutes
• Live pricing pulled from BrightBuild’s preferred merchant – material costs locked same afternoon
• Labour allowances tweaked using historic productivity data stored in their CountBricks dashboard
• Branded quote, schedule and visuals emailed before the end of the day
1. Quote turnaround cut from 32 hours to under 4 hours
2. 6 % increase in accepted markup due to transparent pricing breakdown
3. Client signed digitally via the CountBricks portal, enabling immediate ordering of long-lead items
The speed impressed the homeowner, but the clarity sealed the deal. CountBricks itemised every structural timber length, insulation roll and labour hour, leaving no room for “hidden extras.” BrightBuild now submits every loft quote through the same workflow, winning two additional projects in the first quarter.
Whether you build extensions, conversions or full refurbs, CountBricks gives you the framework to produce laser-accurate quotes without adding office staff. Visit CountBricks.com/services to see how voice estimating, live pricing and AI take-offs can transform your next residential tender.
