Describe a residential job the way you would say it out loud. Clamp turns it into an itemized direct-cost draft: assemblies, quantities, and baseline rates you can inspect line by line.
Turn a job description into a review-ready, priced construction estimate draft. We will email you a copy too.
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How this draft is made
Clamp matches your description to construction assemblies and prices them from Clamp's current U.S. baseline rate library using an automated system. The result is a direct-cost draft for you to review and edit, not a bid, not a quote, and not a guarantee of what any contractor will charge. Rates use Clamp's national U.S. baseline and are not adjusted for your local market.
Baseline rates shown. In the app, your saved rates take over.
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Your estimate draft
What we heard
Assumptions to review
Things to consider
Projects
This is not a price
It is an estimate of job cost: labor and materials only. A sustainable contractor price has to be higher than job cost. Overhead and profit go on top, and how much depends entirely on what that contractor's business requires to operate.
Illustrative price range with example contractor markups
Estimated job cost, before any markup
National-average planning estimate. Uses typical U.S. direct labor and material costs. Local prices, permits, taxes, access, product selections, and contractor overhead and profit can differ substantially.
Illustrative contractor profiles, not recommended markups. Higher markup means more business behind the job. It does not by itself mean better work, and a lower markup does not by itself mean a better deal. Your correct markup depends on your actual overhead, sales volume, owner compensation, and profit goal.
Selected profile
job costs · no markup
Possible additional work
Not included in the total above. Priced in case hidden conditions are found. Shown at job cost, before any markup.
Alternates
Options priced instead of part of the base. Not added to the total above. Shown at job cost, before any markup.
Permits, not included
Permit fees vary by jurisdiction, so they are not in the total above. Typical national range, shown at job cost.
Markup presets are examples, not market averages. Actual contractor markup varies by overhead, business model, volume, and profit target. In Clamp, your saved rates and your calculated markup take over.
You write one paragraph about the job. Clamp matches it to construction assemblies, derives quantities from the dimensions you give, and prices each line from Clamp's current national U.S. baseline rates. The draft that comes back is itemized by trade with labor and materials split out, the same structure a contractor would build by hand.
Here is a real prompt, exactly as written:
Remodel a 5 by 8 foot hall bathroom, keeping the same layout. Replace the existing 60 by 30 tub with a new tub in the same location, and install a tiled tub surround to the ceiling, about 65 square feet of wall tile. New vanity with countertop and faucet, new toilet, replace the exhaust fan, swap two light fixtures, and paint the walls and ceiling. Install about 28 square feet of porcelain floor tile in the open floor area.
What the output looks like
These rows come from the reviewed estimate that prompt produced, published in full on this site:
The numbers are direct job cost: labor and materials, with no contractor overhead or profit. A working contractor adds markup to cover both, and how much depends on their overhead, crew, and profit target. On this same $11,799.17 example, three illustrative markups spanning that range:
Illustrative selling prices on the published example
Profile
Markup
Selling price
Low-Overhead
30%
$15,338.92
Established
50%
$17,698.76
Full-Service
100%
$23,598.34
Profile names are illustrative labels, not measured pricing practices; the right markup comes from a contractor's own overhead and profit numbers. Local rates also vary from the national baseline used here.
Rates come from Clamp's current baseline rate library, documented in How Clamp estimates are built. The published example includes its underlying data files, so you can inspect the assumptions, quantities, rates, and arithmetic.
Clamp is also a full job workflow app for residential contractors on iOS and Android: leads, design agreements, estimates, proposals, change orders, and invoices. Learn about the app.