Boston, MA
NEW ADDITIONS ESTIMATING.

## Addition Estimating in Boston Is Not Simple Work Boston ranks among the most constrained residential markets in the country. Lot sizes in Dorchester, South Boston, and Jamaica Plain are tight. Zoning relief is common. The Inspectional Services Department (ISD) enforces Article 80 review for projects that cross certain square footage thresholds, and the Boston Landmarks Commission adds a layer for work in historic districts like Beacon Hill and the South End. On top of that, Boston's labor market is one of the most expensive in New England. Carpenter wages run higher here than in most Massachusetts metros, and subcontractor availability—especially for structural steel and masonry—tightens every spring when commercial work ramps up. Your bids have to reflect all of that. A flat national cost database does not cut it. ## What Makes Addition Scopes Different A room addition is not a remodel. You are touching the foundation, the framing envelope, the roof line, the electrical panel, and in most cases the HVAC load calculation. Every one of those systems has its own permit, its own inspection, and its own subcontractor schedule. The scope document you hand a homeowner needs to be specific enough to survive their second opinion from another contractor. Vague line items lose bids to low-ballers. Tight line items win them. Estimate.Pro builds the scope-of-work from your walkthrough, not from a template you edit every time. Walk the job, note the existing conditions, log the addition footprint, and the AI drafts the scope—foundation type, framing, insulation, sheathing, roofing, windows, trim, MEP rough-ins—with line items you can price against your own saved material costs. ## The 8-Minute Target Is Real Median time from walkthrough to sendable bid on Estimate.Pro is 8 minutes. For an addition contractor in Boston running two to four active leads at a time, that matters. You are not spending Sunday night rebuilding a spreadsheet. You send the bid Monday morning while the homeowner still remembers the walkthrough. ## AR Measurement on Supported Devices For additions, your critical measurements are the existing wall line, the proposed footprint, and ceiling heights. On supported devices, Estimate.Pro's ONNX-assisted live AR measurement captures those dimensions during the walkthrough. On older devices or photo-based jobs, measurements are flagged as estimates so there is no false confidence in your take-off. ## Boston-Specific Code Exposure Addition contractors in Boston need to account for: - **Massachusetts State Building Code (9th Edition), based on IBC 2015** — governs structural, egress, and energy compliance on additions - **IECC 2021 energy provisions** adopted by Massachusetts — wall assembly R-values, fenestration U-factors, and blower door requirements apply to conditioned additions - **Boston Zoning Code Article 10** — lot coverage, setback, and height limits that frequently require a variance for second-floor additions or rear extensions in dense neighborhoods - **ISD permit fees** — calculated on project valuation, with residential addition permits typically ranging from $350 to over $1,200 depending on scope Estimate.Pro does not file permits for you, but the scope document it generates names the applicable code sections so your permit drawings start with the right references. ## Your Material Cost Workspace Boston lumber prices track higher than national averages, especially post-pandemic. Your saved material cost workspace in Estimate.Pro holds your current pricing from your actual suppliers—not a national average that was accurate eighteen months ago. Update it once when prices shift, and every future bid reflects it. ## Pricing That Matches How You Operate If you are running leads solo, the Free tier costs nothing and requires no credit card. Pro is $39 per seat per month and removes the 3% Stripe Connect platform fee on payments. Elite at $79 per seat per month adds invoice exports and full Stripe Connect workflows. Crew at $399 per month flat covers your whole team under one bill. No setup fees. No per-bid charges. No annual lock-in on monthly plans. ## Who This Is Built For Estimate.Pro supports 25 trades. Addition contractors sit at the intersection of several of them—general framing, roofing, electrical, HVAC, and finish carpentry all appear in a typical addition scope. The platform handles multi-trade scopes in a single estimate so you are not stitching together separate documents for each sub. If you are bidding additions in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, or anywhere in the metro, the constraints are the same: old housing stock, tight lots, demanding inspectors, and homeowners who have already gotten one other bid before they called you. Build the better bid. Send it first.