Speed and accuracy sit at the heart of profitable residential construction. Labor is tight, suppliers change prices daily, and clients demand answers in minutes. Manual spreadsheets can’t keep up. That is why more trade contractors are turning to unit rate estimating software—and why CountBricks has built a platform designed specifically for residential pros.
1. You break a project into repeatable units (square feet of drywall, linear feet of baseboard, number of outlets).
2. You attach a labor and material cost to each unit, often called the “unit rate.”
3. The software multiplies the quantity pulled from drawings or voice-captured site notes by the unit rate to generate an instant cost.
The result is consistent pricing, regardless of project size, estimator, or jobsite chaos.
Real-time voice capture means you can walk the site, call out “1200 square feet of ½-inch drywall” and watch the line item appear in the estimate.
AI-driven blueprint takeoffs scan PDFs and automatically apply your custom unit rates.
Live material pricing pulls today’s lumber or copper price directly into the rate, protecting margins.
One-click proposal generation turns the estimate into a branded quote ready for client signature.
• Lightning-fast turnarounds keep you first in line for homeowner approval
• Consistent unit rates eliminate “gut feel” pricing and awkward change-order debates
• Integrated labor productivity benchmarks flag unrealistic schedules before you sign
• Detailed audit trails satisfy insurance adjusters and bank inspectors
• Cloud collaboration keeps office and field synced without duplicate data entry
Residential construction professionals searching this phrase are typically:
• Frustrated by inconsistent spreadsheets
• Looking for faster ways to quote remodels or additions
• Concerned about rising material volatility
• Eager to modernize without hiring a full-time estimator
CountBricks directly addresses each pain point with AI, voice, and a library of residential unit rates maintained by our cost-research team. Visit CountBricks.com/services to explore the full feature list.
1. Upload drawings or start a voice session from your phone.
2. AI identifies walls, floors, fixtures, and quantities.
3. Your pre-loaded unit rate database prices every item live.
4. Review markups, add allowances, and click “Generate Proposal.”
5. Once approved, convert the estimate to a progress-billing schedule inside CountBricks.
Redwood Ridge Framing, a CountBricks client in Denver, struggled with 24-hour turnaround expectations on tract home packages. After adopting CountBricks unit rate estimating software, they reduced quote time to 45 minutes and won four of the next five bids. Materials were auto-priced against regional lumber indexes, and voice entry let foremen capture jobsite changes without returning to the office.
• “It’s only for large firms.” CountBricks subscriptions start at a single seat and scale up.
• “Unit rates can’t handle custom work.” Custom assemblies allow line-by-line overrides without breaking your master database.
• “Learning curve is huge.” Most crews complete onboarding in under two hours through CountBricks.com/academy resources.
• “My suppliers give better pricing offline.” Sync negotiated price lists directly into your unit rates so the platform mirrors your paper invoices.
Ready to ditch the spreadsheet shuffle? Sign up for a live demonstration at CountBricks.com/demo. Our team will import up to three of your recent projects, calibrate labor productivity, and show you exactly how fast unit rate estimating can transform your residential business.
• Keep unit rates updated weekly to reflect supplier surcharges.
• Store commonly used assemblies—like “2 × 6 exterior wall” or “LVP flooring, mid-grade”—for drag-and-drop speed.
• Use voice notes to capture hidden conditions (asbestos abatement, poor soil) before they become costly change orders.
• Leverage CountBricks analytics to compare estimated versus actual labor hours and refine future bids.
CountBricks isn’t just software—it’s a competitive advantage engineered for residential construction specialists who refuse to leave profit on the table.
Your unit rate library is the engine that powers accurate estimates. CountBricks provides a starter set of residential assemblies, but fine-tuning them to your crew and region unlocks maximum precision.
1. Gather Actuals: Pull the last five closed jobs and record true material quantities and labor hours.
2. Adjust Productivity: If your framing crew averages 150 sq ft per hour instead of the default 120, update that metric inside CountBricks.
3. Validate with a Test Project: Run an estimate on an upcoming job, compare to supplier quotes and field feedback, and iterate.
• Supplier Sync: Connect your primary yards to feed real-time lumber, drywall, and hardware costs
• Regional Labor Index: CountBricks updates hourly burden rates quarterly so you stay aligned with market wages
• Assembly Templates: Drag-and-drop groups such as “bathroom gut remodel” to price fixtures, tile, and GFCI circuits in a single click
SparksPro Electric updated its unit rates through the above process and used CountBricks analytics to monitor slippage. After one quarter, variance between estimated and actual labor dropped from 7 % to 1.8 %, freeing cash for an additional apprentice hire.
• Quote Time: Track hours from takeoff to proposal
• Hit Rate: Monitor awarded bids versus submitted bids
• Gross Margin: Compare projected versus actual on closed jobs
CountBricks dashboards automatically surface these KPIs so you can see the payoff of well-maintained unit rates.
For tailored guidance, schedule a one-on-one calibration session at CountBricks.com/consultation. Our specialists will help you build a resilient, profit-focused database that evolves with your residential construction business.
