A-103 · Pricing the work
How construction estimating works — and how Autotelic prices a job
Estimating turns a scope into a range from real assemblies, unit costs, labour and code references; the instant estimate does it live for remodels and ADUs.
- Project
- HOW IT WORKS
- Sheet
- A-103
- Sheet title
- ESTIMATE
- Rev
- 2026-09-26
- Set
- 17 SHEETS
- Status
- RELEASED
- 1ADU
- 2Home remodel
- 3New build
- 4Commercial
- 5Venue
- 6Estimate
- Released
- In progress
- Not in service
- Internal — shown, never linked
- Seat on the base (alignment)
- Item no. → parts list
How contractors turn a scope into a price — assemblies, unit costs, labor, and code — and the live tools Autotelic runs to do it.
Released
Construction estimating turns a scope of work into a number. The reliable way to do it is with assemblies: a kitchen remodel, for example, isn't one line item, it's dozens — demo, framing changes, electrical circuits, plumbing rough-in, cabinetry, countertops, tile, paint — each with its own unit cost for materials and labor. Add them up against the actual quantities for a specific space, and the total reflects that project, not a rule-of-thumb square-footage guess.
Good estimates also carry code references where they matter — an electrical panel upgrade or an egress window isn't priced in a vacuum, it's priced against what the applicable code actually requires in that jurisdiction. And every honest estimate is a range, not a single number, because some quantities and some site conditions aren't fully known until later steps confirm them; a wide range usually means less is known yet, and a narrow one means more has been verified.
Autotelic's instant estimate wizard runs on that same logic instead of a lookup table: a trade router sends the project to the right catalog, a jurisdiction resolver checks which of several named local authorities applies (falling back honestly when it doesn't recognize one), catalog matching and a crew labor calculator price the actual scope, and code-compliance references get attached wherever the catalog has a verified one. A quantity validator checks the inputs before anything is priced, and how the resulting estimate is presented — grouped by section, with subtotals, notes, and optional lines — is a setting the team controls, not something baked into the wizard.
That live, catalog-grounded pricing runs today for a home remodel, an ADU, and a modular new build. A commercial tenant finish, A/V-heavy technology work, and venue projects are priced through a scoped consult while their estimate mode is still in build — the same honest distinction the feasibility study makes: real today, or a real path today, never a claim ahead of the code.
That is true whether the project is an ADU, a home remodel, a new build, a commercial tenant finish or a venue — every one of them gets priced against the same assemblies engine, whether the door into it today is the instant wizard or a scoped consult.
What it does
- The instant estimate wizard runs a project through four steps and keeps the whole state serializable.
- A trade router, jurisdiction resolver, catalog matcher, and crew labor calculator price the scope before a number is shown.
- Code-compliance references attach to line items wherever the catalog has a human-verified citation.
- A quantity validator checks inputs, and presentation settings — grouping, subtotals, notes, optional lines — are controlled by the team, not hard-coded.
- Live, catalog-grounded pricing runs today for a home remodel, an ADU, and a modular new build.
- A commercial tenant finish and technology-heavy projects still price through a scoped consult while that mode is in build.
What it sees
No replay is published for this module yet.
What it replaced
Old phase: Procurement
Materials and trades locked before the schedule can slip.
Today sourcing runs on the same instant-estimate wizard: a trade router, a jurisdiction resolver, catalog matching, a labor calculator, and code-compliance references price the job before a lineup is locked.
Proof
- 5,190 Catalog items costed
- 5,195 Catalog items total
- 281 Assembly components with a code reference
- 11 Verified code citations
Grounding level: catalog
Range: $111,190–$130,528
Phases
Install
- Denver ADU building permit + plan review + inspection fees
- Denver Water ADU System Development Charge (3/4 in service)
- Xcel Energy electric service connection allowance
- ADU construction documents (plans, elevations, sections, site plan)
- Structural engineering — slab/footing design + lateral calcs (stamped)
- Energy code compliance documentation (IECC/REScheck)
- Site excavation & grading labor (pad + utility trenches)
- Mini-excavator rental (2 days)
- Crushed stone base (3/4 in road base, compacted)
- Vapor barrier — 6-mil poly under slab
- Rebar #4 grade 60 (slab grid + thickened edge)
- Ready-mix concrete 4,000 PSI (delivered)
Show the other 98 lines
- Concrete pump (backyard placement)
- Foundation hardware (anchor bolts, holdowns, sill seal)
- Foundation labor — form, place, finish, strip
- Radon rough-in materials (4 in perforated pipe + vent stack)
- Radon rough-in labor
- 2x4x10 Stud
- 2x4x16
- Pressure-Treated 2x4x16
- 2x10x12
- 7/16" OSB 4x8
- Weather barrier (housewrap, taped seams)
- 36x42 Vinyl Casement Egress Window (Pella 250 or equiv)
- 48x24 Vinyl Sliding Window (TAFCO or equiv)
- 36x24 Vinyl Awning Window (TAFCO or equiv)
- 36x24 Vinyl Awning Window pair (for 72" opening)
- 36x80 Steel 6-Panel Prehung Exterior Door (main entrance)
- 30x80 Steel Utility Prehung Exterior Door (storage closet)
- Framing labor — walls, plates, rafters, sheathing, openings
- Roof underlayment (synthetic, 850 roof sf)
- Architectural shingles (30-year)
- Roofing installation labor
- Ridge vent + intake vents
- Flashing (drip edge, penetrations, valleys)
- Wall insulation (fiberglass/mineral batt)
- Attic insulation (blown cellulose, R-49)
- Insulation install labor (batt walls + blown attic)
- Fiber cement siding (HardiePlank, primed)
- Siding + housewrap install labor
- Exterior trim (corners, fascia, soffit)
- Exterior paint (2 coats, body + trim) — material
- Exterior paint labor
- Leviton LP210-BPD 100A 20-space main breaker load center
- SER 2-2-2-4 aluminum feeder, main house panel to ADU (60 ft)
- Electrical rough-in materials (wire, boxes, devices, breakers)
- Electrical rough-in labor
- Electrical trim/device labor
- Recessed LED 6 in — Halo HLC6, selectable CCT, IC-rated
- GFCI receptacle 20A WR/TR (kitchenette, bath, exterior)
- Bath exhaust fan 80 CFM humidity-sensing
- Smart Smoke/CO Detectors (3 ea)
- Exterior wall sconces / porch lights
- Plumbing rough-in materials (PEX-A supply, DWV, fittings)
- Plumbing rough-in labor
- Plumbing fixture-set labor (trim-out)
- A.O. Smith Signature 100 40-gal electric water heater
- Water heater expansion tank + pan + whip
- Water heater install labor
- 12,000 BTU 230V 17-SEER ductless mini-split heat pump
- Mini-split pad/bracket + line-set cover
- Mini-split install labor (set, line set, vacuum, charge)
- 1/2" Standard Drywall 4x8
- All-Purpose Joint Compound (5 gal)
- Drywall Paper Tape (500ft)
- Drywall Screws 1-5/8" (5lb box)
- Corner Bead (8ft)
- Drywall labor — hang, tape, mud, sand (L4)
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior Paint — Kitchen Walls & Ceiling (3 gal)
- Interior paint labor (walls + ceiling, 2 coats)
- LVP Flooring — COREtec Pro Plus Enhanced (30 mil, cork backing)
- Flooring install labor
- 32x80 6-Panel Hollow Core Prehung Interior Door
- 30x80 6-Panel Hollow Core Prehung Interior Door
- 60x80 Bypass Sliding Closet Door (6ft)
- Interior Trim Package (MDF baseboards + casing)
- Closet Shelving + Rods (2 bedrooms)
- Door + trim + closet install labor
- KraftMaid Durham Maple cabinets (semi-custom)
- Silestone Calacatta Gold quartz countertop
- Kraus KHU100-30 30 in undermount stainless sink
- Delta Trinsic Touch2O Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet
- MSI Arctic White subway backsplash tile
- Stone counter fab/install labor (template, cut, set)
- Cabinet install labor (semi-custom)
- Backsplash install labor
- Pressure-balanced shower valve (ASSE 1016)
- Shower drain 2 in with removable strainer
- Lightweight Slope Fill System — Pre-Sloped Foam Panels (Schluter Kerdi-Shower-ST or equivalent)
- Sheet Waterproofing Membrane — Bonded Fabric (Schluter Kerdi or equivalent)
- Luxe Sand Matte Porcelain Tile
- Linen Bluff Wall Tile
- Unmodified Thin-Set Mortar (for Membrane Bonding) — 50 lb Bag
- Modified Thin-Set Mortar (for Tile Installation) — 50 lb Bag
- Sanded grout 25 lb
- Tile labor — shower walls + pan + bath floor
- James Martin Brittany 36" vanity + quartz top
- Kohler Cimarron comfort-height toilet
- Bathroom Fixtures + Accessories
- P-trap + supply lines (lavatory)
- Angle stop shutoff valves (pair)
- GE 30 in freestanding electric range (self-clean)
- GE 30 in 18 cu ft top-freezer refrigerator
- GE 1.6 cu ft over-the-range microwave
- LG WM3555HWA 24 in all-in-one washer/dryer combo
- Appliance install labor (set, level, connect)
- 20 Yd Dumpster (Contractor Delivery)
- Porta Potty Rental (28-day cycle)
- Inspection Scheduling & Coordination Labor
- Final clean labor
AHJ notes
- Denver Building & Fire Code (based on 2021 IBC/IRC with significant Denver amendments)
- Denver has its own amendments to IRC/IBC. Green roof/solar-ready requirements on new construction. ADU-friendly per recent ordinance.
- Permit fees based on valuation. Additional fees for expedited review.
Assumptions
- This is a preliminary scope and range for planning — not a quote or contract.
What the instant estimate prices today
The wizard prices these project types against the catalog and local code data. Any other trade runs in consult mode: scope questions, no dollar figures, and a person replies.
The system layer
The system behind a price: the pipeline every scope runs through before a number is shown.
Topology
- Trade router
- Jurisdiction resolver
- Catalog matching
- Crew labor calculator
- Code compliance references
- Quantity validator
- Partner price schedules
- Presentation flags
- Construction supplier scraping — Not in service
- Trade router → Jurisdiction resolver
- Jurisdiction resolver → Catalog matching
- Catalog matching → Crew labor calculator
- Crew labor calculator → Code compliance references
- Code compliance references → Quantity validator
- Quantity validator → Partner price schedules
- Partner price schedules → Presentation flags
- Construction supplier scraping → Catalog matching (planned live pricing feed (not running))
The one-day clock
- 02:30 — Trade knowledge writes
- 03:00 — Citation checks
- every 2 hours — Build-desk PR pulse
Questions
Why is my estimate a range instead of one number?
Because some quantities and site conditions aren't confirmed until later steps — a wider range means less is verified yet, a narrower one means more is.
Does the estimate include code requirements?
Where the catalog has a human-verified code citation for that line item, yes; the wizard doesn't invent a code reference it can't back up.
Can I get an instant estimate for a commercial buildout?
Not yet self-serve — commercial, along with A/V-heavy and edge-compute work, still prices through a scoped consult while that estimate mode is in build.
What is a jurisdiction resolver?
A step that checks which local building authority applies to the project, with an honest fallback when it doesn't recognize one, because code requirements vary by city.