How Builders Really Price Your Construction

“There’s no such thing as a quick estimate.” Estimating is one of the biggest parts of pre-construction, and it is also where builders lose time, money, and trust when the process is loose. We sit down with Rick Hughes from Estimating Online to take a look at why the idea of a “quick estimate” is often the start of bigger problems later. Rick breaks estimating into a four-step process, from the gut-feel feasibility estimate through to rapid software-based estimating, a detailed bill of quantities, and then true costing where the client is committed and trades are quoting a real job. They talk about why context matters, why inputs matter, and why different builders need different estimating strategies depending on the type of work they do. They also cover trade quote fatigue, fixed price versus cost plus, and why construction still does things backwards by designing first and costing last. If you are trying to tighten your pre-construction workflow, this episode gives you a clear way to think about estimating without getting distracted by shiny tools. CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 Introduction 00:29 Meet Rick Hughes 01:38 Why Estimating Matters 03:28 Do You Need Site Experience 10:14 Tiers of Estimating 11:25 Tech Tools and Templates 13:43 Four Step Estimating Framework 14:25 Sponsor Break ProClima Details 15:31 Who Should Estimate and Check 18:46 Stop Wasting Trade Quotes 25:23 Builder vs Trade Expertise 31:01 Common Sense Pricing Examples 33:30 Getting Paid for Precon 35:15 Sponsor Break Systems Webinar 37:19 Tenders And Budget Reality 40:30 Fixed Price Vs Cost Plus 48:56 In House Trades Debate Our Sponsors: Pro Clima - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/proclima MEGT - https://mindful-builder.captivate.fm/megt Biz Tech Guru: https://www.biztechguru.com.au/ Wunderbuild: https://www.wunderbuild.com/ LINKS Estimating Online: https://estimatingonline.com.au/ Connect with us on Instagram: @themindfulbuilderpod Connect with Hamish: Instagram: @sanctumhomes Website: www.yoursanctum.com.au/ Connect with Matt: Instagram: @carlandconstructions Website: www.carlandconstructions.com/

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This episode is 1 hour and 12 minutes long.

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This episode was published on September 13, 2026.

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