Interior remodeling
Remodeling estimates your clients can read and your crew can build from
Remodels are sold on selections and lost on assumptions. The cabinet line that was priced at stock grade, the tile that needs a mud bed, the pocket door that moves a plumbing wall: each one belongs on paper before the contract is signed. LEEDS prepares remodeling estimates that name every allowance, show the selective demolition honestly and plan for the family still living in the house.
- 5.0 Google
- 4.9 Trustpilot
- 4.9 Clutch
Scope of takeoff
Remodeling scope we quantify
Room-by-room scope, with allowances stated so selections do not quietly rewrite the contract.
- SF / LF / EA
Selective demolition
Cabinets, fixtures, flooring, non-bearing walls and finishes removed, with debris hauling and protection
- LF / EA
Wall removal and reconfiguration
Framing changes, beams, posts, headers and temporary shoring for opened layouts
- LF / EA
Kitchen cabinetry
Base, wall and tall units, islands, panels, crown, toe-kick, pulls and installation
- SF
Countertops and backsplash
Quartz, granite or laminate tops, sink cutouts, edge profiles and tile backsplash
- SF / EA
Bathroom wet areas
Shower pans, membranes, tile walls, niches, glass enclosures and tub surrounds
- EA / LF
Plumbing fixtures and rough-in
Sinks, faucets, toilets, valves, drain relocation and water heater connections
- EA
Electrical and lighting
Recessed lights, under-cabinet lighting, small appliance circuits, GFCI and AFCI protection
- SF / LF
Flooring and transitions
Tile, hardwood, LVP or carpet with underlayment, leveling and blend strips
- SF / LF
Drywall, paint and trim
Patching, new board, texture matching, primer, paint, casing and baseboard
- EA
Doors, windows and hardware
Interior doors, pocket doors, window replacements and hardware sets
- LS / EA
Appliances and allowances
Appliance packages, specialty fixtures and owner-selected finishes carried at stated budgets
- WKS / LS
Living-in-place logistics
Dust walls, temporary kitchen, floor protection, daily cleaning and phased shutoffs
Process
How our estimating process works
Four steps from upload to a bid-ready estimate, with a senior estimator signing off before anything leaves our desk.
- 1
Upload plans and scope
Send your drawings, specifications and bid invitation through the secure upload form. We confirm scope, deadline and a fixed price within two business hours.
Then step 2
- 2
Digital quantity takeoff
Estimators measure every item from calibrated plans in Bluebeam and PlanSwift, color-coding each layer so quantities can be traced back to the drawing.
Then step 3
- 3
Pricing and labor
Quantities are priced with location-adjusted material costs, crew productivity rates and equipment, then marked up to your overhead and profit targets.
Then step 4
- 4
Senior review and delivery
A second estimator audits quantities and pricing, documents assumptions and exclusions, and delivers your Excel workbook, PDF summary and marked-up plans.
Bid-ready
Overview
Remodeling is a sequence of small decisions, each with a price
A remodeling estimate covers a lot of small items that interact. Moving a kitchen sink 6 feet to an island triggers a new drain slope, a vent, an electrical circuit and a flooring patch. We follow those chains. Each change in the plan is traced through demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, drywall, finish and trim, then priced in a scope-by-room format that homeowners understand and remodelers can attach to a contract. Rooms are priced as separate packages, so a homeowner can see what the kitchen costs versus the powder room and phase the work if the total is too high.
Selections are where budgets slip. We separate fixed scope from allowances and give each allowance a unit rate: cabinets per linear foot, counters per square foot, tile per square foot installed, plumbing fixtures each, and lighting per fixture. When the owner chooses a different grade, the difference is a single line change, which keeps design meetings productive and the contract total honest. Installation labor is shown apart from material, which helps remodelers compare their own crews to subcontractor pricing and keep their markups consistent.
We also price the realities of working in an occupied home. Dust containment, temporary kitchens, floor protection, limited work windows, trash handling and phased water shut-offs all appear as lines in the estimate, so the schedule and the budget describe the same project. A family cooking on a hot plate for six weeks is a cost, and it belongs on paper. Debris removal, dumpster rental and floor protection are also included, because these small items add up quickly on a full-floor project.
Estimate types
What type of remodeling estimating can you get?
Match the estimate to where your project is. Every option is priced as a flat fee before work begins.
Room budget range
A per-room range for a kitchen or bath at three finish levels, designed to set expectations before design starts.
Accuracy
±15%
Turnaround
Same day
Best for
Homeowners choosing scope and finish level
Deliverables
What's included in your estimate package
Every deliverable is formatted so it can go straight into a proposal, a purchase order or an owner report.
Estimate workbook
Quantities, unit costs, labor hours and totals organized by CSI division, with subtotals, markups and a bid summary tab.
Marked-up plans
Color-coded takeoff drawings showing exactly where every measured quantity came from.
Material procurement list
Consolidated material quantities with waste factors applied, ready to send to suppliers for quotes.
Labor hours by task
Crew-based labor hours and productivity rates so you can check the schedule against the estimate.
Assumptions and exclusions log
Every clarification, allowance and exclusion documented so your proposal scope is defensible.
Bid summary sheet
A proposal-ready one-page summary with overhead, profit, bonds and contingency applied.
Why LEEDS
Why contractors switch to LEEDS
An estimating desk that behaves like an extension of your team, not a software subscription.
- 01
Each plan change is traced through demolition, framing, plumbing, electrical, drywall and finishes so no hidden step is left out.
- 02
Allowances for cabinets, tile, counters and fixtures carry stated unit rates the homeowner can adjust.
- 03
Kitchen cabinetry is quantified from elevations by base, wall and tall units, with panels, crown and filler strips counted.
- 04
Bathroom wet areas are priced with membranes, pans, blocking and glass, the items that cause most bath budget overruns.
- 05
Wall removal includes temporary shoring, beam sizing and the finish repair at ceilings and floors that follows.
- 06
Living-in-place costs for dust barriers, temporary kitchens and phased utilities are written into the estimate.
- 07
Code upgrades triggered by the work, such as GFCI, AFCI and egress requirements, are flagged and priced.
- 08
Estimates return in 24-48 hours in clear, scope sections that double as a contract exhibit.
Reviews
What contractors say after their first bid with us
What general contractors, subcontractors and developers say after bidding with our numbers.
“We feed every lender package through LEEDS. The documentation standard is high enough that underwriting has never asked for a second opinion.”
Sarah McAllister
Director of Preconstruction, Harborline Developments · Tampa, FL
“Having a design-development estimate before we finished CDs let us value-engineer the envelope while it still mattered. Clear, fast, and the estimators speak our language.”
Aisha Bello
Principal, Bello Architecture Studio · Atlanta, GA
“Squares, underlayment, flashing lengths, fastener counts, even the ridge vent. The waste factors were right for the roof pitch. Bid-ready out of the box.”
Greg Lindqvist
Estimator, Summit Roofing Co. · Kansas City, MO
CSI divisions
CSI MasterFormat divisions we cover
Estimates are organized by division so they drop straight into your cost codes and schedule of values.
Highlighted divisions are the primary scope on this page.
FAQ
Remodeling Estimating FAQs
Straight answers on scope, turnaround, pricing and deliverables.
What does a kitchen remodel estimate include?
Demolition and haul-off, any wall or soffit changes, plumbing and electrical updates, cabinets, counters, backsplash, flooring, lighting, paint and appliances. Anything the owner has not chosen is carried as an allowance with a unit rate, so the contract shows what is fixed and what is flexible.
How do allowances work in your remodeling estimates?
An allowance is a budget for an item not yet selected, such as tile at a given price per square foot. We list the quantity, the assumed unit price and the installation cost separately. When the owner picks something more or less costly, the contract is adjusted by the difference.
Do you estimate for homes where the family stays during work?
Yes. We include dust containment, floor protection, a temporary kitchen setup, limited work hours, daily cleanup and planned utility shutoffs. These living-in-place costs affect labor productivity, so they are priced into the schedule and not left as an unspoken assumption. We confirm the schedule that fits the household's routine.
Can you price opening up a wall between kitchen and living room?
We price it from the plans or field sketch: temporary shoring, beam and posts as engineered, rerouting of wiring, plumbing or ductwork in the wall, ceiling and floor repair, plus permit and engineering. If the wall contents are unknown, we carry an explicit allowance for rerouting. This keeps the owner informed before demolition begins.
How is remodeling estimating different from renovation estimating?
Remodeling changes the layout or finishes of rooms, usually in single-family homes, and is driven by selections. Renovation covers whole-building upgrades, often commercial, with systems replacement, hazardous material and code-triggered work. We scope them differently and price risk differently. Commercial work follows a different process, with more regulatory review and larger systems involved.
Can you update the estimate when the homeowner changes selections?
Yes. The workbook is built around unit-rate allowances, so a changed counter, tile or fixture updates the total in one place. We turn around revisions within 24 hours and keep a version log that shows what changed and why. Any selection delay is flagged as a schedule risk.
Related
Related estimating services
Most projects need more than one trade. Bundle them into a single upload and we price the whole scope together.
Ready for a remodeling estimating quote?
Upload your plans and get a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Most estimates are delivered in 24–48 hours.