Accurate costings are crucial for profitable residential construction. From initial client contact to final invoicing, knowing the exact requirements for labor, materials, and sub-trades determines profitability. Traditional methods often rely on outdated spreadsheets and delayed supplier quotes. CountBricks revolutionizes this process with AI-driven, real-time costings accessible to every site supervisor and estimator.
• Clients demand fixed-price certainty amidst fluctuating material costs.
• Banks and insurers require transparent documentation.
• Skilled labor shortages increase the cost of rework due to budgeting errors.
• Competitive tendering favors firms with fast, data-backed quotes.
CountBricks ensures your figures align with current market prices, eliminating costly guesswork.
Imagine conducting a site walk-through and speaking naturally: “Remove existing gib in lounge, 42 square meters; supply and install R2.8 insulation; repaint area in two coats low-VOC.” CountBricks records and converts this into tasks, linking each to your supplier catalog for a detailed estimate in seconds.
• Live Material Database: Synced hourly with leading merchants for timber, linings, fixings, and finishes.
• Trade-Specific Assemblies: Pre-built labor and material recipes for framing, roofing, plumbing, and electrical tasks.
• AI Blueprint Take-Off: Upload plans, mark rooms, and let CountBricks quantify areas, lengths, and counts instantly.
• Instant Invoicing: Push approved costings directly into staged invoices, aligning cash flow with progress claims.
These components streamline processes while preserving professional judgment.
1. Open the CountBricks app and select “New Estimate.”
2. Choose “Voice Walk-Through” or “Plan Upload.”
3. Speak or tag each scope line; the AI suggests labor hours and material allowances.
4. Review supplier rates from your negotiated price files.
5. Adjust mark-up, contingency, and overhead percentages to meet margin targets.
6. Export a branded PDF or push the numbers into “Quote Builder.”
7. Click “Convert to Project” to start live cost tracking against the original budget.
• Build custom assemblies for unique details and reuse them.
• Tag frequently used items as “Favorites” for quick access.
• Sync cost codes with accounting software for seamless job-cost reports.
• Use CountBricks.com/portfolio to store project data and refine future estimates.
• Activate “Price Alert” notifications for automatic quote updates.
A Christchurch builder using CountBricks reduced quote turnaround from four days to four hours. The AI flagged missing line items, saving an average of $1,700 per project. Real-time budget tracking reduced project variance by 6%.
• Supplier quote PDFs that never make it into the master spreadsheet.
• Labor hours estimated by gut feel rather than historical averages.
• Mis-counted door or window units due to plan revisions.
• Forgotten preliminaries like fencing or council fees.
CountBricks provides the confidence to sign fixed-price contracts without sleepless nights.
Accurate costings dictate cash-flow health. CountBricks links estimates to claimable stages, prompting invoice drafts pre-filled with agreed breakdowns. This ensures you never over-claim or under-invoice.
• Auto-generated subcontract agreements tied to costings lines.
• Region-specific escalation indices for long-term project profitability.
• AR/VR site capture integrating quantities into your budget.
CountBricks is committed to making residential costings predictive and accurate.
Ready to enhance your costings? Visit CountBricks.com for a free demo account. A dedicated coach will help migrate your price lists, set up templates, and train your team in under a week.
A three-storey weatherboard re-clad was challenging to price due to unknown rot and access issues. Traditional bids ranged from $320k to $380k, often exceeding budgets by 15%.
1. The site manager completed a 25-minute voice walk-through, capturing 146 scope lines.
2. CountBricks AI adjusted timber rates based on recent promotions.
3. Automated risk factors applied a 7% contingency to cladding replacement.
4. The estimate was $342,900 with transparent line items for client audit.
• Job awarded within 48 hours due to detailed costings.
• Final cost variance: +0.8% versus AI estimate.
• Cash-flow positive by month two with milestone-linked invoices.
• Granular voice notes capture hidden tasks.
• Live supplier feeds reduce padding, enhancing competitiveness.
• Linking costings to invoicing ensures timely billing.
Ready to achieve similar results? Visit CountBricks.com for a strategy call.
