Grand Rapids, MI
SIDING ESTIMATING.

Siding Estimates That Match Grand Rapids Conditions

Grand Rapids sits in a climate zone where freeze-thaw cycles, lake-effect moisture off Lake Michigan, and wind-driven rain put real stress on exterior cladding. Your bids need to account for that — proper housewrap specs, fastener patterns rated for Michigan wind loads, and material choices that survive a West Michigan winter. Generic software built for contractors in Phoenix doesn't cut it here.

Estimate.Pro is built for working siding contractors. You do the walkthrough, the app builds the scope of work, and you have a sendable bid in 8 minutes. That's the target for every job — whether it's a 1,200 sq ft vinyl re-side in Wyoming or a fiber cement install on a two-story in East Grand Rapids.

How the Estimate Workflow Actually Works

On supported devices, the AR measurement tool uses ONNX-assisted live detection to measure wall surfaces, window cutouts, and soffit runs. On any device, you can photograph the elevation and pull dimensions from the image — those measurements are flagged as estimates in the output so you know what to verify before finalizing. No manual counting from blurry photos, no transcription errors.

Once measurements are captured, the app generates a line-item scope: field panels, starter strip, J-channel, corner posts, window and door trim, housewrap, fasteners, and waste factor. You set the waste percentage — West Michigan gable ends with complex trim geometry often run 12–15% waste on vinyl; fiber cement board-and-batten can run tighter at 8–10% if the cuts are planned. That's your call, and the app lets you make it.

Material costs pull from your saved workspace. You're pricing LP SmartSide, James Hardie, or Alside Prodigy at what you're actually paying through your West Michigan supplier relationships — not national averages that haven't matched local reality in three years.

What Makes Siding Estimating Different in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids follows the Michigan Residential Code (MRC) based on the 2021 IRC. For siding work, that means mandatory WRB (weather-resistive barrier) over OSB or foam-sheathed walls, and fastener schedules that comply with MRC Table R703. When you're replacing siding on a 1970s ranch in Grandville, you're often finding rotted OSB, missing housewrap, and no drainage plane — that's scope creep that has to be in your estimate before you're on the hook for it.

The app lets you add conditional line items: "Replace sheathing if deteriorated — per sheet price." Those show up clearly in the client-facing proposal so there's no dispute when you open the wall.

Grand Rapids also has a dense stock of Dutch Colonial and Craftsman homes in neighborhoods like Heritage Hill and Eastown. Detailed trim work, corner board profiles, and wood soffit replacement are common add-ons on those jobs. You can save those as trade-specific line item packages and apply them in seconds.

Pricing That Works for a West Michigan Crew

Estimate.Pro has a free forever tier — no credit card, no time limit. You can build and send bids from day one. When you're ready to take payments or export invoices, Pro is $39 per seat per month. Elite is $79 per seat per month and adds Stripe Connect with 0% platform fee, plus invoice export workflows. If you're running a crew and multiple estimators, Crew is $399 per month flat regardless of seat count.

On the Free plan, Stripe Connect charges a 3% platform fee on collected payments. On Pro and above, that drops to 0%.

Start on the Next Job

The next time you're standing in a customer's driveway in Ada or Comstock Park measuring a re-side, open Estimate.Pro. Walk the elevations, let the AR tool capture the surfaces, add your material and labor rates, and send the bid before you're back at the shop. That's the 8-minute target. Most siding contractors hit it on their third estimate.