Chicago and downstate both covered
We track Chicago's union scale and Department of Buildings amendments alongside downstate open-shop labor markets, so the same estimate template doesn't get forced onto two very different cost environments.
Construction estimating · Illinois
Cost estimating and quantity takeoff for residential, commercial, industrial, and public projects - priced against Chicago-area and downstate Illinois labor and material markets, trade by trade or as a full bid package.
Estimate summary
Grid ref C–4
Concrete & structural steel
Cast-in-place footings, 4,000 PSI
620 CY
Structural steel framing, W-shapes
118 TN
Metal deck, composite floor
42,000 SF
Slab-on-grade, reinforced
28,400 SF
Est. structural subtotal
$2,184,600
2–10 days
typical turnaround
15+ trades
estimated by division
102 counties
Illinois covered
Why Estimating Buddies
Chicago's union agreements, prevailing wage rates, and Department of Buildings amendments run very differently from a project in Rockford, Peoria, or Springfield. We price every Illinois estimate against the labor and material conditions of the project's actual jurisdiction, not a single statewide average.
We track Chicago's union scale and Department of Buildings amendments alongside downstate open-shop labor markets, so the same estimate template doesn't get forced onto two very different cost environments.
When a project falls under the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, labor is priced using the Illinois Department of Labor's county rate schedule instead of standard market rates, avoiding a bid that's priced wrong from the start.
Fifteen-plus trade divisions are estimated by specialists in that trade, then assembled into one coordinated deliverable, so quantities don't double up or fall through the gaps between scopes.
Core services · Column grid A
Order a single service or bundle several - each is delivered as its own clear line item so you know exactly what you're paying for.
Grid A–1
Full project cost estimates with labor, material, equipment, and markup broken out separately by division.
Grid A–2
Measured quantities of concrete, steel, framing, finishes, and every other material directly from your drawings.
Grid A–3
Purchase-ready material lists by size, type, and quantity, formatted for ordering or supplier quote requests.
Grid A–4
Scope letters, exclusion lists, and subcontractor quote leveling so you walk into bid day with a complete package.
Grid A–5
Budget-level estimates from schematic or design-development drawings, before construction documents are final.
Grid A–6
Priced change orders and RFIs using the original estimate's unit costs, plus cost-reduction alternatives when asked.
Grid A–7
Labor hours priced against Chicago union scale or downstate open-shop rates, matched to the project's actual jurisdiction.
Grid A–8
Any single division estimated on its own for a subcontractor bidding one scope of a larger project.
Project types
Illinois demand runs from suburban subdivisions and downstate agricultural-belt projects to Chicago high-rise, adaptive reuse, and the state's growing industrial and data center pipeline.
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Trade-by-trade breakdown
Each trade below can be ordered alone or combined into a full multi-trade estimate, referenced by its standard CSI MasterFormat division number.
| CSI | Trade |
|---|---|
| 03 30 00 | Concrete |
| 04 20 00 | Masonry |
| 05 12 00 | Structural steel |
| 06 10 00 | Rough carpentry & framing |
| 07 30 00 | Roofing |
| 08 10 00 | Doors, windows & glazing |
| 09 20 00 | Drywall & plaster |
| 09 60 00 | Flooring |
| 09 90 00 | Painting & finishes |
| 21 00 00 | Fire suppression |
| 22 00 00 | Plumbing |
| 23 00 00 | HVAC & mechanical |
| 26 00 00 | Electrical |
| 31 00 00 | Earthwork & excavation |
| 32 00 00 | Site paving & landscaping |
| 33 00 00 | Site utilities |
Who we serve
General contractors use our estimates to assemble a full bid or check subcontractor pricing before award. Subcontractors use the same trade-specific numbers directly to price and submit their own bids.
Illinois notes
Illinois construction cost varies more by jurisdiction and labor agreement than almost any factor in the drawings themselves.
Public and publicly funded projects must pay county-specific prevailing wage rates set by the Illinois Department of Labor, which we apply whenever a project is subject to the Act.
Chicago's union building trades operate under a different wage and productivity structure than the largely open-shop labor markets found in much of downstate Illinois, which changes labor cost per unit significantly.
Chicago enforces its own building code with local amendments distinct from the base International Building Code used in most other Illinois jurisdictions, affecting structural, fire, and life-safety quantities.
State-funded projects, including many school and public facility jobs, follow Capital Development Board cost standards and procurement requirements that we factor into public-sector estimates.
Collar-county municipalities and downstate jurisdictions each set their own permit fees and site development requirements, which we confirm before finalizing sitework and utility quantities.
Fixture clearances, accessible unit counts, and path-of-travel requirements are verified against ADA and Illinois accessibility code for public and commercial projects.
Our process
Six steps, whether you need one trade priced or a complete multi-division bid package.
Step 01
Upload PDF or CAD construction documents and your bid due date.
Step 02
We confirm which divisions to estimate, the project's jurisdiction, and any inclusions or exclusions.
Step 03
Quantities are measured in Bluebeam, PlanSwift, or On-Screen Takeoff directly against your drawings.
Step 04
Labor and material pricing is applied using current Illinois market data, or prevailing wage rates where required.
Step 05
A second estimator checks quantities against the drawings before anything is delivered.
Step 06
You receive the full spreadsheet and summary, with free revisions if drawings change before you bid.
Deliverables
Every deliverable is built to stand on its own, whether it's feeding a full GC bid or a single subcontractor's proposal.
Sample estimate
A shortened excerpt from a recent 6-story mixed-use building estimate in Chicago's West Loop - the full deliverable breaks out every division separately.
6-story mixed-use · Chicago West Loop
Shortened excerpt
| Scope item | Quantity | Unit cost | Extended cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural steel framing & metal deck | 210 TN | $4,150 | $871,500 |
| Cast-in-place concrete, foundations & slabs | 1,480 CY | $385 | $569,800 |
| Exterior masonry & terra cotta-style cladding | 22,600 SF | $46 | $1,039,600 |
| Interior drywall & framing, 128 units | 184,000 SF | $5.20 | $956,800 |
| MEP rough-in, all systems | 128 units | $8,400 | $1,075,200 |
| Site utilities & paving | 1 LS | - | $412,000 |
| Estimated construction subtotal (excludes overhead & profit) | $4,924,900 | ||
Software & pricing sources
We work in the takeoff and pricing tools most Illinois contractors already use, so our output drops straight into your workflow.
Takeoff & estimating software
Pricing sources
Service areas
We estimate projects statewide, with the deepest project history across Chicago and the collar counties.
Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry
Sangamon, Peoria, McLean, Champaign
Winnebago County
Madison, St. Clair & downstate counties
Pricing factors
| Factor | How it affects the estimate |
|---|---|
| 01Project size & complexity | More square footage, more building types, and more trades all add estimating time and line items. |
| 02Drawing completeness | Full construction documents take off faster than schematic drawings that require assumptions. |
| 03Labor market & wage requirements | Chicago union scale, downstate open-shop rates, and Illinois prevailing wage each price a project differently. |
| 04Turnaround needed | Standard 2–10 business day timelines cost less than a same-week bid-day rush. |
Accuracy & QA
Every estimate goes through an independent second review before delivery, and every quantity is traceable back to a specific sheet on your drawings.
From Illinois contractors
“We sent them a full drawing set for a Naperville office build-out with a five-day turnaround, and the takeoff matched our own supplier quotes closely enough that we bid with real confidence.”
Preconstruction manager, DuPage County general contractor
“They priced our prevailing wage labor correctly for a Cook County school project on the first pass. That alone saved us a rebid.”
Estimator, Chicago-area electrical subcontractor
“Labor and material are broken out separately, so I can apply my own crew rates instead of reworking someone else's assumptions.”
Owner, downstate Illinois framing contractor
Send us a set of plans
Upload PDF or CAD construction documents and your bid due date. We confirm divisions, jurisdiction, and exclusions before pricing starts.
Common questions about Illinois construction estimating
A quantity takeoff measures how much of each material a project needs, counted directly from the drawings: linear feet of framing, square feet of drywall, cubic yards of concrete. A construction estimate applies labor hours, unit prices, equipment, and markup to those quantities to produce a dollar figure. We provide both, and most Illinois clients order them together as one deliverable. Matching trade quantities are covered by our drywall estimating services.
Yes. Labor rates, union agreements, and permitting requirements differ between Chicago, the collar counties, and downstate Illinois, so we price each estimate against the labor and material market for the project's actual location rather than a single statewide average. You can start from the home page to see the complete estimating lineup.