What does a construction estimate really cost?
A “construction estimate” can mean five very different products, priced anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $10,000-plus. Here’s what each one actually costs in Australia, how long it takes, and what lands in your inbox — so you can match the spend to the decision you’re making.
The options at a glance
Typical Australian category ranges, footnoted to their sources below. Every project and provider differs — treat these as the shape of the market, not a quote.
| Option | Typical cost | Turnaround | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS cost plan — small project[1] | $1,500 – $3,000 | 5–14 business days | Elemental cost plan, professionally certified |
| QS cost plan — full documentation[1] | $3,000 – $8,000 | 10–15 business days | Detailed elemental cost plan on full drawings |
| Full Bill of Quantities (BOQ)[2] | $4,000 – $10,000+ | 10–15 business days | Fully measured, itemised quantities for tender |
| Local estimating firm[3] | $600 – $3,000 | 5–14 working days | Priced estimate, varies widely by firm |
| DIY estimating software[4] | $2,030 – $6,110 / yr + your labour | However long it takes you | A tool — you do the takeoff and pricing |
| Single-trade takeoff shop[5] | Per-trade pricing | Varies | One trade only — not a whole-project estimate |
| EstiFlow | From $299 | ~3 hours, typically same day | Costed report + editable BOQ + subcontractor packs |
Indicative category ranges for comparison only — not quotes. See Sources below.
About three hours, not 3–5 business days
A traditional estimate lands in 3–5 business days once scope is agreed — after the pricing conversation it was meant to inform has moved on. EstiFlow’s full pack comes back in about three hours, so the numbers are on the table while the job still is.
~3 hrs
EstiFlow
3–5 days
Typical
What EstiFlow doesn’t do
Clear boundaries up front. EstiFlow is a fast, builder-ready estimating service — these are the jobs it’s not built for:
- Certified Quantity Surveyor cost reports for finance, lender or contract reliance — we're not a registered QS practice.
- Formal QS sign-off where a DA condition, lender or contract mandates one.
- Tax-depreciation schedules — that's a different product entirely (see below).
- Guaranteed tender rates — final pricing is always the builder's commercial call.
A costed estimate report, an editable BOQ workbook with every quantity and rate visible, and ready-to-send subcontractor pricing packs — measured from your actual plans, back the same day. Independently benchmarked by a top-tier Australian quantity surveying firm — within 4.4% ex-GST.
After a tax-depreciation schedule? Different product.
Quantity surveyors also prepare depreciation schedules for completed investment properties — a tax document, not a build estimate. It answers “what can I claim?”, not “what will this cost to build?”. This page doesn’t compare them and EstiFlow doesn’t produce them — for one of those, go straight to a registered quantity surveyor.
About EstiFlow
EstiFlow produces automated construction cost estimates from your drawings, delivered as working files you own and can edit. We are not a registered quantity surveying practice, and EstiFlow outputs are not certified QS reports. Where finance, a lender, a tender condition or a contract requires certified QS documentation, commission that separately. Figures on this page are indicative category ranges for comparison — not professional advice, and not a quote.
- [1]Australian quantity surveying cost-plan fee ranges — small vs. full documentation. Source + access date to be finalised.
- [2]Full Bill of Quantities preparation fees for tender-stage documentation. Source + access date to be finalised.
- [3]Independent / local estimating firm pricing and typical turnaround (5–14 working days). Source + access date to be finalised.
- [4]Annual subscription range for DIY construction estimating software. Source + access date to be finalised.
- [5]Single-trade takeoff service scope (one trade per order). Source + access date to be finalised.
Ranges compiled 14 July 2026 · sources pending final verification
Put real numbers on your next job.
Upload your DA-stage plans and get back a costed report, an editable BOQ and subcontractor packs — from $299, typically in about three hours.