A clean estimate with a plain-English summary, a line-item table, what's not included, and how to approve.
An estimator spent 61 prompts feeding ChatGPT prices and rates, and its number matched his bid
It got there only because he gave it every variable. Others report about 70% accuracy on AI takeoffs.
What they did
In a r/estimators thread asking whether anyone has succeeded with AI estimating, a Division 7 estimator said their owner keeps pushing ChatGPT. A coworker re-ran a project he'd bid earlier that week in ChatGPT.
How it went
After 61 prompts supplying material pricing and labor rates, ChatGPT's price range lined up with his bid, "but he fed it all of the variables." Another estimator said AI takeoffs they've built for lumber, electrical, HVAC and flooring are only 60-70% accurate. A Division 31/33 estimator said a manual checklist caught exclusions buried in a bid package that no AI tool flagged on the first pass.
Worth knowing
AI won't save time on pricing you already know. Use it to read documents and catch scope gaps, and keep a manual checklist for exclusions, bonds and deadlines.
Try it yourself
Want help getting this working? Rise Systems in Oconomowoc sets these up.
Source: Reddit r/estimators · 2026 (see post)
Quotes that took him an hour per 10 now come out with datasheets in about 15 minutes.
AI is weakest reading dense drawings as images. Pull out the notes and schedules as text first.
A skeptic's view: entering everything into the AI is the same work as writing the quote.
One uses an estimating tool with built-in AI takeoff that saves him hours, but warns never to replace estimator instincts.