From drawings to a room-by-room estimate in hours
Stop sending a number. Send a scope the client can read, compare and sign, with the quantities behind it and your margin where only you can see it.
The quote that loses is usually the thin one
Homeowners with three quotes do not pick the cheapest. They pick the one they understand. "Loft conversion: £58,000" cannot be compared with anything. "Rear dormer, 2 bedrooms and en-suite: structure, roof, insulation, first fix, second fix, allowances for sanitaryware and tiles, exclusions listed" can.
RCB Group's rule is scope before price. Dwellinger's estimator was built around it.
How it works
- Pick the template. Loft, extension, refurbishment, kitchen or bathroom. Each has the sections a Building Control-ready job needs: strip-out, structure, roof, insulation, fire doors, first fix, second fix, finishes, preliminaries.
- Build the quantities. From the drawings and the survey. Quantities first, so the scope is right before any money is attached.
- Apply your rates. Labour, materials, subcontract, plant, scaffold, waste, Building Control fees, overhead and margin, contingency. Low, standard and high tiers side by side.
- Issue and track. Word, Excel or PDF with your branding. Send by email, link or WhatsApp. Every amendment is versioned, so "you said X" has a date on it.
Three details that matter
- Allowances and exclusions are first-class items, not a footnote. Client-supplied kitchens, sanitaryware, tiles and flooring sit as allowances, which keeps your price low and your variations clean.
- A timeline per estimate. Weeks per stage, shown as a bar, so the client sees programme as well as price.
- The ballpark disclaimer is automatic on early figures, so an indicative number never gets mistaken for a quotation.
Price
No public price list yet. Estimating is part of the platform, not a separate add-on. Founding contractors hear pricing first.
Questions contractors ask us
How long does a scope-led estimate take?
RCB Group's own standard is a scope of works within 24 to 48 hours of the site survey. With a template and the drawings in hand, the first draft of a loft or extension scope is a morning's work, not a weekend.
Does it price the job for me?
It builds the quantities and structure from the template and the drawings. Rates are yours: labour, materials, subcontract, plant, preliminaries and your overhead and margin. Low, standard and high tiers are calculated from your settings.
Can the client see my margin?
No. The client document shows the scope, the inclusions and exclusions, allowances and the price per section or tier. Internal cost breakdowns stay internal.
What about second-fix items the client has not chosen yet?
The templates follow a shell, first-fix, second-fix structure so you can quote what is decided and hold allowances for what is not. That keeps the price honest and the variations visible.
Which document formats?
Word, Excel and PDF, with your logo and details. Estimates can be sent by email, link or WhatsApp from the platform, and every amendment is stamped and kept.
Further reading
- How to quote a loft conversion so the client can actually compare it
- What a scope of works template needs, section by section
- Pipeline & comms, where the estimate gets sent and chased
Be one of the founding contractors
Bring one set of drawings to the call. We will build the scope with you on the platform.