Austin, TX
SMART HOME / AV ESTIMATING.

## Smart Home and AV Estimating Built for Austin Integrators Austin's tech-forward market means your clients already know what Lutron, Control4, and Crestron can do. They've read the spec sheets. They're asking about Matter protocol compatibility and whole-home networking before you've pulled out your measuring tape. Your bid needs to match that fluency — and it needs to arrive fast, before the next integrator in the queue sends theirs. Estimate.Pro takes you from a jobsite walkthrough to a sendable bid in a median of 8 minutes. For AV integrators in Austin, that gap between site visit and proposal is often where jobs are won or lost. --- ### What Makes AV Estimating in Austin Different **New construction volume is high.** Austin consistently ranks among the fastest-growing metros in the country. Builders in the Domain, Mueller, and the southeast corridor are putting smart home rough-in specs into production homes at scale. That means you're bidding pre-wire packages alongside full integration retrofits — two very different scope documents that need separate line-item structures. **Client expectations are above national average.** Austin's population skews toward tech workers and early adopters. Distributed audio, motorized shading, and managed Wi-Fi are baseline asks, not upgrades. Your estimate has to itemize these correctly so clients understand what they're approving, not just a lump-sum number. **Local license and permit rules add scope.** Texas requires a licensed low-voltage contractor (TDLR Class C or above) for most structured wiring and AV control work tied to a structure. Austin Energy and City of Austin permits may apply when you're integrating with solar, EV chargers, or load-control systems. Missing those line items in a bid creates change-order friction later. --- ### How Estimate.Pro Works for AV Integrators When you open a new job, you choose AV / Smart Home from the 25 supported trades. The scope-of-work engine walks you through: - **Distribution topology** — single-room, zone audio, whole-home AV matrix - **Control system tier** — app-only, dedicated processor, or full dealer-programmed automation - **Structured wiring** — CAT6A runs, speaker wire gauge, HDMI over IP vs. dedicated home run - **Integration touchpoints** — lighting, HVAC, security, shading, EV charging AR-assisted measurement on supported devices lets you log room dimensions and cable run distances during the walkthrough. Measurements taken from photos or non-AR camera modes are flagged as estimates so your proposal reflects actual confidence levels — not false precision. All material costs save to your workspace. When Belden bulk cable pricing moves or you swap to a different rack-mount brand, you update it once and every future estimate reflects the change. --- ### Pricing and Payments Estimate.Pro runs on a free forever tier — no credit card required to start. When you're ready to collect deposits or progress payments through the platform, Stripe Connect is built in. The Pro plan ($39/seat/month) carries a 3% platform fee on payments. Elite ($79/seat/month) drops that to 0% and adds invoice export workflows. Crew ($399/month flat) covers your full install team. For Austin integrators running multiple crews across new construction and retrofit work, Crew pricing is the practical floor once you're past two technicians billing through the platform. --- ### Standards That Should Appear in Your Scope Documents When you're writing AV proposals in Texas, referencing the right standards protects you and signals competence to architects and GCs: - **ANSI/TIA-568** for structured cabling specifications - **ANSI/CEDIA 2030-A** for home network infrastructure - **NEC Article 725** for low-voltage Class 2 and Class 3 wiring - **TDLR Chapter 113** (Texas Administrative Code) for low-voltage licensing requirements Estimate.Pro's scope templates reference applicable standards in the deliverable so GCs and permit reviewers see a professional document, not a handwritten list. --- ### Start Without Risk Create your free account, load your Austin material costs, and run your next bid through the 8-minute workflow. No subscription required to see whether it fits how you work. If you're quoting pre-wire packages in a Pflugerville production build or a full Control4 integration in Tarrytown, the scope engine handles both without you rebuilding a template from scratch each time.