Baltimore, MD
FOUNDATIONS ESTIMATING.

## Foundation Estimating in Baltimore Is Not Generic Work Baltimore sits on some of the most variable subsurface conditions on the East Coast. You're dealing with the Piedmont Plateau in the north, fill soils near the Inner Harbor, and expansive clay in older row-house neighborhoods like Waverly and Pigtown. A bid built from national averages will cost you the job or cost you money. Neither is acceptable. Estimate.Pro is built around your actual scope, not a template someone wrote for Phoenix. --- ## What Makes Baltimore Foundation Work Specific **Soil and hydrology.** Many Baltimore neighborhoods sit above high water tables and decomposed schist. Projects in Fells Point, Locust Point, and South Baltimore regularly require underpinning or sump pump systems as part of scope. Your estimate needs to account for dewatering, geotextile fabric, and drain tile — line items that disappear when you use a generic calculator. **Row-house stock.** Baltimore has roughly 70,000 occupied row houses, more per capita than almost any U.S. city. Foundation repairs on a shared-wall structure require different shoring logistics than a detached single-family. Party wall considerations change your labor hours, your equipment access, and your liability exposure. Estimate.Pro lets you build trade-specific line items and save them to your material cost workspace so those nuances carry into every bid. **Baltimore City permit process.** The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development requires structural permits for foundation work, and inspections are scheduled through the One Stop Shop permitting portal. Permit fees are calculated by construction valuation — knowing your estimated job cost before you submit saves you rework on the application. You can export a priced estimate directly from Estimate.Pro to populate that valuation field. **Maryland licensed requirements.** Maryland requires a Home Improvement Contractor (MHIC) license for residential foundation work. Some scopes — including underpinning and helical pier installation — may also require a licensed engineer's stamp before permit issuance. Factor that engineering cost into your estimate from the start, not as a surprise after the bid goes out. --- ## The 8-Minute Bid Target Estimate.Pro's median time from walkthrough to sendable bid is 8 minutes. Here is how that applies to a foundation job: 1. **Walk the site.** Use AR measurement on a supported device to capture footing dimensions, wall heights, and crack locations. Camera and photo measurements are marked as estimates in the output — you know exactly what was measured live versus approximated. 2. **AI scope-of-work.** The app reads your walkthrough inputs and drafts a scope: excavation, form work, concrete pour, waterproofing membrane, drainage board, backfill, and final grade — or whatever subset applies to this job. 3. **Price it.** Your saved material cost workspace pulls in your current concrete, rebar, and waterproofing prices. Labor rates default to your saved Baltimore-area rates. You adjust what needs adjusting. 4. **Send it.** The client gets a professional, itemized bid. You move to the next call. That's the workflow. No double entry, no spreadsheet gymnastics. --- ## Pricing That Matches How You Operate - **Free forever tier.** No credit card. Start building estimates today. - **Pro — $39/seat/month.** Full AI scope drafts, AR measurement, saved cost workspaces. - **Elite — $79/seat/month.** Adds Stripe Connect invoicing (0% platform fee on Elite vs. 3% on Free), invoice exports, and advanced workflows. - **Crew — $399/month flat.** Unlimited seats for larger foundation contractors running multiple crews. You pick the tier that fits your volume. You're not locked into an annual contract to try the product. --- ## Built for 25 Trades, Including Foundations Estimate.Pro supports 25 trades. If your crews also do waterproofing, concrete flatwork, or structural steel, those scopes are covered under the same login. You don't manage separate tools for each trade category. For foundation contractors specifically, the app includes scope templates that reference common specifications — including guidance consistent with ACI 318 (structural concrete), ASTM D1557 (soil compaction), and manufacturer specs for drainage composite systems used in below-grade waterproofing. --- ## Start Without Risk The free tier is permanent, not a trial. Build your first Baltimore foundation estimate, see how the scope draft compares to what you'd write by hand, and decide from there. No credit card. No expiration date.