Ladder.

Construction cost estimating

Know what your project will cost before you commit to it.

Cost estimates and quantity takeoffs from your drawings and specifications. We price the design as it develops, so budget problems surface during design, not on bid day.Cost estimates and takeoffs from your drawings, at every design stage. Budget problems surface early, not on bid day.

AI reads every sheet. Cost professionals price it and review it before delivery.

Request a quote → View a sample estimate

Trusted by industry leaders

Yorke Construction Corporation Glynn Group LEMA Construction Romsdahl Companies ADOR Builders ICE Group of Companies Matotah Central Valley Hardware Artisan Design Elysium Franklin Development Corp

Our services

Wherever the project is, we price it.

Design

Design-to-budget

Cost estimates at agreed design milestones, compared against your budget, with priced options to close the gaps.

Per milestoneConcept · SD · DD · CD
  • Estimate at each agreed milestone, organized by CSI MasterFormat or UniFormat
  • Variance to budget
  • Costed design alternatives
  • Basis of estimate: quantities, rates and assumptions
  • Excel estimate and written report

For owners, architects and owner’s reps.

Discuss your project
Bidding

Bid estimating

Full quantity takeoff and priced estimate from your bid set, by trade package.

Per bidQuantities + priced estimate
  • Measured quantities, each linked to its sheet or spec section
  • Priced estimate in Excel, by package or in your template
  • Inclusions, exclusions and assumptions
  • Open questions, ready to send as RFIs
  • Written report

For contractors bidding the job, and owners before bids open.

Request a quote
Construction

Project cost control

A monthly cost report during construction: budget, committed cost, change orders and forecast final cost.

MonthlyCost report cycle
  • Change orders priced and checked against the contract
  • Committed-cost tracking
  • Forecast final cost
  • Monthly cost report against budget

For owners, developers and owner’s reps.

Discuss your project

View a sample estimate US project

See the quantities, pricing and supporting information in a finished deliverable. Download the Excel estimate and accompanying report.

View the sample → Excel Report (PDF)

Who we work with

For owners, design teams and contractors.

Owners, architects and owner’s reps: from concept through construction, alongside the design team. Contractors: when they bid the job.Owners and design teams from concept to construction. Contractors at bid.

ConceptSchematic · SDDesign dev. · DDDocuments · CDBiddingConstruction

  1. Budget from day one

    An early cost model from area and program, with its assumptions stated, so the brief starts with a realistic budget.

  2. Costed options

    A first estimate against the budget, with priced alternatives for the major systems.

  3. Design to budget

    Estimates refined as systems take shape. We flag where the design drifts from budget and cost the options to bring it back.

  4. Full cost estimate

    Detailed quantities and pricing from the complete set, reviewed with the design team before bidding.

  5. Bid pricing

    Full takeoff and priced estimate, for contractors bidding the job or owners before bids open.

  6. Cost control

    Change orders priced and an updated forecast of final cost as the project is built.

How we work

An estimate is only as good as its assumptions.

So we document the basis of every line: where the quantity came from, how it was priced and what it assumes. When something changes, your team can see what the number depended on and what the change affects.Every line shows where its quantity came from, how it was priced and what it assumes.

  1. 01 · Documents

    We start with your project documents.

    Drawings, specifications, addenda and revisions, reviewed together as one set.Drawings, specs, addenda and revisions, read as one set.

  2. 02 · Scope and quantities

    Define the scope, then measure it.

    Our AI reads every sheet and specification section and cross-checks them against each other, so “see drawings” and “see spec” don’t cancel out. It builds the scope: what is included, in which trade, and what is missing.
    Quantities are measured from the drawings and linked to their source.    AI cross-checks every sheet and spec section and builds the scope.
    Quantities are measured and linked to their source.

  3. 03 · Pricing and review

    Priced, then reviewed before delivery.

    Every rate records its pricing source and the assumptions behind it. Before delivery, a cost professional reviews the scope, quantities, pricing and assumptions, and gaps become questions while there’s still time to ask them.Every rate records its source and assumptions. A cost professional reviews it all before delivery. Gaps become RFIs.

Riverside Community Library · 90% CD

Documents received

▤Drawings48 sheets · A, S, M, E, PRead
§SpecificationsDivisions 01–33Read
+Addenda1–3, incl. RTU-3 resizeRead
⌖Location & deadlineFrom your requestNoted

Measured scopePriced estimate

1TPO roofing, 60 mil↗ A-501 · Spec 07 54 23Rate: regional bids18,400 SF$439,760
2Curtain wall↗ A-301 · head height unclearRange until RFI #7 answered6,900 SF$1,090,200
3Door hardware sets↗ A-601 scheduleRate: set rate by type146 EA$128,480
✓ Reviewed before delivery$1,658,440

Team

A modern cost engineering firm.

We combine our own AI tools with professional cost expertise. AI supports document analysis and quantity preparation. Cost professionals review the scope, pricing, assumptions and completed deliverable before delivery.Our own AI tools, run by cost professionals who review every deliverable before delivery.

Client engagement Ladder
Omri Admon
YOURPOINT OF CONTACT

Omri Admon

Co-founder & CEO

Built ops systems for Fortune 100s. Your point of contact.
LinkedIn →
Technology Ladder
Reuven Amar
BUILDSOUR AI TOOLS

Reuven Amar

Co-founder & CTO

15+ years in AI and computer vision. Ex-CTO, construction tech.
LinkedIn →

Questions

Before you ask for a quote.

More on how we work in Why Ladder.

Is this an AI estimate?
It’s AI-assisted and professionally reviewed. AI reads, counts and cross-checks the documents. Cost professionals price the work and review it before delivery. Every quantity links back to the sheet or spec section it came from, so you never have to take an AI’s word for a number.
What do I receive?
A cost estimate or quantity takeoff in Excel, organized by trade or package, with the basis of every line: where the quantity came from, how it was priced and what is still open. Plus a written report. See a sample estimate (US project).
How is AI used?
Specialist AI agents, one for each trade, read every drawing, specification and addendum in their part of the project, take off quantities and flag conflicts. A review step checks each trade against what it usually carries, and neighboring trades are reconciled so scope doesn’t fall between them. Our cost professionals lead the work.
Who is responsible for the estimate?
Ladder is responsible for the agreed work. Your proposal names the cost professional who reviews your project, with their experience and the scope of their review. If you need a signed report, we agree it as part of the assignment.
Can the AI get it wrong?
Yes, the same way a person can. That’s why every quantity says where it came from (printed, calculated, measured or judgment) and links back to the sheet or spec section. A cost professional reviews the items that move the number. We state what the analysis covered rather than promise it found everything.
What happens when the documents don’t answer a question?
It gets one of four treatments: a clarification for the design team, a stated assumption, an allowance or an exclusion. Each is listed with the estimate, so you can see what the number depends on.
How early can you start?
At concept. Early estimates matter most, because that’s when cost can still change the design. We work from whatever the project has, and the estimate gets more detailed as the design does.
Can you update the estimate when the design changes?
Yes. Quantities and assumptions stay linked to their sources, so a revision is assessed against the previous estimate: what changed and what it affects. Quantities and prices touched by the change are recalculated.
How is it priced?
A fixed fee per scope of work. We can start the conversation without drawings; to confirm a fixed fee, we may need to review the documents. We confirm the scope, fee and delivery schedule with you before starting, and we sign an NDA on request.

Request a quote

Tell us about your project and the work you need.

  1. Send your project documents. Drawings, specifications, project location and required delivery date.
  2. Agree the assignment. We confirm the scope, deliverables, fee and schedule before starting.
  3. Receive the reviewed work. Quantities and pricing, reviewed before delivery, with assumptions and open questions recorded.

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