Seattle, WA
OTHER (DECKS, FLATWORK) ESTIMATING.

## Estimating Decks and Flatwork in Seattle Takes More Than a Spreadsheet Seattle's terrain, weather, and code environment make deck and flatwork estimating harder than it looks on paper. You're working on lots that range from flat Capitol Hill parcels to steep Magnolia hillsides with 20-foot grade changes. One job needs a grade beam and helical piers; the next needs a simple floating slab. Your bid has to account for both, accurately, before you commit to a number. Estimate.Pro is built for that reality. From your site walkthrough, the app captures AR measurements on supported devices, flags them clearly as estimates on camera-only measurements, and feeds them into a structured scope of work. Median time from walkthrough to a sendable bid: 8 minutes. --- ## Why Seattle Deck Contracting Is Its Own Discipline **Permitting is not optional and not fast.** Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) requires a building permit for any deck more than 18 inches above grade, and most structural decks in Seattle clear that threshold easily. You need stamped drawings for anything with a significant ledger connection to the house, and permit timelines through SDCI can run 8 to 16 weeks on an over-the-counter structural application. Flatwork that involves drainage changes may also trigger a grading permit. **Soil and drainage conditions are project-specific.** Seattle sits on glacial till, fill, and in some neighborhoods, liquefiable soils near the water. The City of Seattle references ASCE 7-22 and the 2021 IBC for structural loads. A deck in Rainier Beach on fill soil bids differently than the same footprint on till in Wedgwood. Your estimate needs to capture the foundation variation, not assume a standard footing. **Moisture protection is non-negotiable.** Annual rainfall in Seattle averages around 38 inches, with a long wet season from October through May. That means composite decking with proper drainage profiles, stainless or coated fasteners, and flashing details at every ledger connection. Material costs for moisture-resistant assemblies are higher than in drier markets. Your line items need to reflect that. **Material costs move.** Pressure-treated lumber, composite decking, and concrete all fluctuate. Estimate.Pro keeps your material costs in a saved workspace so you're building each bid from your actual current numbers, not last quarter's memory. --- ## What Estimate.Pro Does for Deck and Flatwork Contractors **AR-assisted measurement.** On supported devices, the app uses ONNX-assisted live AR to capture deck dimensions, step runs, and flatwork areas on site. Measurements taken from photos are marked as estimates — you always know which numbers were field-verified. **AI scope-of-work generation.** Walk the site, capture what you see, and the AI assembles a scope: framing, decking, railing, ledger detail, footing type, drainage. You edit it, you own it — but you're not starting from a blank page. **Your cost data, your margins.** The saved material cost workspace holds your Seattle supplier pricing. You set the markup. The app builds the estimate around your numbers. **Stripe Connect payments, $0 platform fee on Pro+.** Send the estimate, collect the deposit, get paid — without giving up 3% on every transaction. The 3% platform fee applies only on the Free tier; Pro and above run at 0%. **Invoice exports.** Elite tier contractors can export invoice-ready documents directly from the estimate. No retyping numbers into a separate system. --- ## Plans Built for How You Work - **Free forever.** No credit card. Good for solo operators testing the workflow. - **Pro — $39/seat/month.** Full estimating, your cost workspace, 0% Stripe Connect fee. - **Elite — $79/seat/month.** Pro features plus invoice exports and advanced workflows. - **Crew — $399/month flat.** Unlimited seats. Built for established shops running multiple crews. --- ## Seattle-Specific Costs You Should Know Before Your Next Bid Seattle deck contractors regularly deal with permit fees that add $500 to $1,500 to project overhead before a single board goes down. Labor rates for skilled deck carpenters in the Seattle metro run significantly above national averages. And the long shoulder season — late spring through early fall — compresses your bidding window. A slow estimate process in April costs you jobs. Estimate.Pro is designed to remove that bottleneck. Eight minutes per bid. Accurate line items. A document a homeowner can sign. Start free at Estimate.Pro. No credit card required.