Costings are the heartbeat of every profitable residential build. From the first client call to the final invoice, knowing exactly how much labour, material, and sub-trade input is required determines whether you pocket a margin or swallow a loss. Yet traditional spreadsheets, delayed supplier quotes, and fragmented field notes still dominate many small-to-mid-sized firms. CountBricks is changing that reality by placing real-time, AI-driven costings in the palm of every site supervisor and estimator.
• Residential clients demand fixed-price certainty while materials fluctuate daily
• Banks, insurers, and compliance officers insist on transparent documentation
• Skilled labour shortages magnify the cost of rework caused by budgeting errors
• Competitive tendering rewards firms that submit fast, data-backed quotes
Because of these pressures, guesswork is costly. CountBricks pairs live merchant feeds with voice-captured scope notes so your figures always match the market, not last month’s price list.
Imagine walking a renovation site and speaking naturally: “Remove existing gib in lounge, 42 square metres; supply and install R2.8 insulation; repaint area in two coats low-VOC.” CountBricks records the conversation, converts it to tasks, links each line to your preferred supplier catalogue, and produces a detailed estimate in seconds. No typing, no double-handling.
• Live Material Database: Synced hourly with leading merchants for timber, linings, fixings, and finishes.
• Trade-Specific Assemblies: Pre-built labour + material recipes for framing, roofing, plumbing, and electrical tasks.
• AI Blueprint Take-Off: Upload plans, mark rooms with a finger, and let CountBricks quantify areas, lengths, and counts instantly.
• Instant Invoicing: Push approved costings directly into staged invoices, keeping cash flow aligned with progress claims.
Every component is designed to remove human bottlenecks while preserving the professional judgement of licensed builders.
1. Open the CountBricks mobile or desktop app and select “New Estimate”.
2. Choose “Voice Walk-Through” or “Plan Upload”.
3. Speak or tag each scope line; the AI suggests labour hours and material allowances.
4. Review supplier rates pulled 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 straight into “Quote Builder”.
7. Once accepted, click “Convert to Project” to start live cost tracking against the original budget.
• Build custom assemblies for your signature details—shiplap ceilings, negative-detail architraves, or bespoke joinery—and reuse them.
• Tag frequently used items as “Favourites” so they surface first in the material picker.
• Sync your accountant’s cost codes so job-cost reports flow straight into Xero without re-mapping.
• Use CountBricks.com/portfolio to store finished-project data; the AI learns typical waste factors and refines future estimates.
• Activate “Price Alert” notifications to update open quotes automatically when material spikes exceed your threshold.
A Christchurch builder recently shifted his five-person team onto CountBricks. Average quote turnaround time dropped from four days to four hours. Missing line items—like scaffold hire or rubbish removal—were flagged by the AI, eliminating an average of $1,700 in unbilled costs per project. Because budgets imported directly into the live job ledger, the foreman could compare purchase orders against the original costings in real time, shaving 6% off overall project variance.
• Supplier quote PDFs that never make it into the master spreadsheet
• Labour hours estimated by gut feel rather than historical averages
• Mis-counted door or window units due to plan revisions
• Forgotten preliminaries like fencing, site toilets, or council fees
By systemising each of these, CountBricks gives residential contractors the confidence to sign fixed-price contracts without sleepless nights.
Accurate costings are not just about winning the job; they dictate cash-flow health for the next six to twelve months. CountBricks links every estimate line to a claimable stage. When a milestone is reached, the system prompts an invoice draft, pre-filled with the agreed breakdown. Because both pricing and scheduling data come from the same source, you never over-claim or under-invoice.
• Auto-generated subcontract agreements tied to costings lines
• Region-specific escalation indices so long-term projects stay profitable
• AR/VR site capture integrating quantities directly into your running budget
CountBricks is committed to pushing residential costings into a truly predictive discipline—where yesterday’s completed tasks drive tomorrow’s budget accuracy.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start delivering bullet-proof residential costings, visit CountBricks.com/services for a free demo account. A dedicated implementation coach will migrate your current price lists, set up project templates, and train your team in less than one week. The result: faster quotes, tighter margins, and happier clients.
A three-storey weatherboard re-clad was historically difficult to price due to unknown rot, access issues, and shifting council requirements. Using traditional spreadsheets, past bids ranged from $320k to $380k—often blowing out by 15% once walls were opened.
1. The site manager completed a 25-minute voice walk-through, capturing 146 scope lines—including scaffold lifts, window flashings, and traffic management.
2. CountBricks AI cross-checked the data against our Wellington cost library, adjusting timber rates to reflect a recent merchant promotion.
3. Automated risk factors applied a 7% contingency specifically to cladding replacement, rather than blanket-loading the entire job.
4. The resulting estimate landed at $342,900 with transparent line items the client’s QS could audit.
• Job awarded within 48 hours due to the detail and confidence of the costings
• Final cost variance at completion: +0.8% versus the AI estimate
• Cash-flow positive by month two because milestone invoices were linked to progress inside CountBricks
• Granular voice notes capture hidden tasks human estimators overlook
• Live supplier feeds can reduce padding, making bids more competitive without eroding margin
• Linking costings to invoicing guarantees you bill exactly when value is delivered
Ready to replicate these results? Head to CountBricks.com/consultation and book a fifteen-minute strategy call. We’ll review one of your current estimates, demonstrate where AI can tighten allowances, and map a rollout plan tailored to your crew size and workflow. With CountBricks, residential costings become a science, not a gamble.
