Residential Construction Estimator

Custom Luxury Residential Construction

Location: Monmouth County, NJ | Office & Field-Based

Compensation: $90,000 - $120,000 base salary, commensurate with experience, plus commission opportunity

Own the Number. Protect the Margin. Help Turn Exceptional Homes Into Reality.

A reputable and growing custom luxury home builder in Monmouth County, New Jersey is seeking an experienced Residential Construction Estimator to take ownership of estimating for high-end custom homes, additions, and major renovations.

The company manages the construction process from pre-construction planning and design coordination through construction and long-term homeowner care. Its clients are building highly customized homes and expect accurate numbers, thoughtful guidance, transparent pricing, and exceptional attention to detail.

This is not a back-office takeoff role.

The Residential Construction Estimator will own the numbers behind each project, developing accurate estimates, working directly with homeowners, architects, designers, subcontractors, suppliers, and company leadership, and helping clients move confidently from initial planning to signed construction agreement.

You will be responsible for more than calculating quantities. You will understand the full project scope, identify gaps before they become problems, verify subcontractor pricing, explain costs clearly to clients, develop smart alternatives when budgets need adjustment, and help ensure that what is sold can be built profitably.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare complete estimates for custom homes, additions, major renovations, and other complex residential projects.
• Review architectural drawings, structural plans, specifications, selections, engineering documents, and site conditions.
• Perform detailed quantity takeoffs and build project budgets by trade using established cost codes.
• Solicit pricing from subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors and ensure sufficient bid coverage.
• Review and compare proposals to identify scope gaps, exclusions, inconsistencies, duplicated costs, and pricing risks.
• Maintain accurate internal pricing for labor, materials, subcontractors, and suppliers.
• Improve estimating templates, workflows, historical cost data, and processes to increase consistency and accuracy.
• Develop allowances, alternates, assumptions, qualifications, and exclusions that clearly define each estimate.
• Identify value-engineering opportunities that help clients manage budgets without unnecessarily compromising quality or design intent.
• Compare estimated costs with actual project costs and use completed-project data to improve future estimates.
• Meet with homeowners, architects, and designers to understand project scope, priorities, and budget expectations.
• Present estimates clearly and confidently, explaining inclusions, exclusions, allowances, assumptions, and pricing.
• Answer client questions and help them understand the cost implications of different design, material, and scope decisions.
• Work through budget concerns constructively and develop alternatives when required.
• Follow up on active proposals and help move qualified clients from estimating through contract execution.
• Work with company ownership on contract pricing, allowances, exclusions, payment schedules, and commercial terms.
• Ensure the final construction agreement accurately reflects the estimate, approved scope, assumptions, and pricing.
• Prepare a thorough handoff for the Project Manager once a project is sold.
• Price client-requested changes, upgrades, design revisions, allowance overages, and unforeseen conditions during construction.
• Obtain updated subcontractor and supplier pricing when scope changes.
• Develop accurate change-order pricing that reflects materials, labor, subcontractor costs, overhead, and appropriate margin.
• Support Project Managers with budget reviews, cost-to-complete analysis, and pricing decisions.
• Protect profitability by ensuring legitimate additional work is identified, priced, approved, and billed.
• Continually improve estimating accuracy, speed, organization, presentation, and profitability.

Tools You Will Use

• Buildertrend for estimates, proposals, change orders, and project budgets.
• Square Takeoff or comparable software for quantity takeoffs and plan review.
• Google Workspace, including Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Sheets.

Experience with these exact systems is preferred, but strong estimating fundamentals and the ability to learn new technology quickly are more important.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of residential construction estimating experience, preferably involving custom homes, luxury residential construction, or major renovations.
• Demonstrated experience independently developing complete estimates from plans and specifications.
• Strong working knowledge of residential construction methods, materials, sequencing, and trade scopes.
• Strong ability to read and interpret architectural drawings, structural plans, specifications, and engineering documents.
• Experience performing detailed takeoffs and developing project budgets.
• Experience soliciting, reviewing, leveling, and negotiating subcontractor and supplier proposals.
• Strong understanding of trade scope and the ability to identify missing or unclear work before a project is sold.
• Experience presenting estimates directly to homeowners or clients.
• Comfortable explaining costs, allowances, alternates, exclusions, and budget considerations.
• Experience helping convert estimates and proposals into signed contracts.
• Comfortable negotiating with clients, subcontractors, suppliers, and vendors.
• Strong commercial understanding of margins, markups, contingencies, and project profitability.
• Experience preparing construction change-order pricing.
• Proficiency with estimating or takeoff software.
• Square Takeoff experience is a plus.
• Buildertrend experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills.
• Working knowledge of New Jersey residential construction practices and permitting is preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and the discipline to verify your own work.
• Ability to manage multiple estimates, deadlines, revisions, and competing priorities.
• Comfortable working both in the office and visiting project sites when required.

Who Thrives in This Role

You understand that estimating is not about producing the lowest number. It is about producing the right number.

You would rather give a homeowner an accurate price up front than explain an avoidable overrun later.

You question incomplete information. If something on the plans is unclear, a subcontractor has excluded scope, or an allowance looks unrealistic, you investigate it.

You check your own work because you understand that a missed line item directly affects project profitability.

You are comfortable holding firm when pricing is justified, while also helping clients find intelligent alternatives when budgets need to come down.

You can discuss money confidently and explain why something costs what it costs without creating unnecessary friction.

You enjoy being accountable for measurable results, including estimate accuracy, project margins, proposal conversion, and change-order turnaround.

Most importantly, you take ownership. When you put a number in front of a client, you want to know it has been carefully considered, properly supported, and based on a realistic understanding of what it will take to deliver the project.

Pay & Benefits

• Full-Time, salaried employment.
• Base salary: $90,000 - $120,000 per year, commensurate with experience.
• Commission opportunity on signed construction contracts.
• Additional benefits to be discussed during the interview process.
• Opportunity to play a major role in distinctive, high-end custom residential projects.
• Direct interaction with company ownership and meaningful influence over estimating systems and pricing strategy.
• Professional growth opportunity within a reputable and expanding custom residential construction company.

Why This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity for an experienced estimator who wants greater ownership than a traditional takeoff position provides.

You will not simply receive plans, produce a spreadsheet, and hand it off.

You will be involved in understanding the project, developing the estimate, communicating with clients, working through budget decisions, supporting contract negotiations, handing projects into construction, and ensuring that changes are priced properly once work begins.

Your judgment, attention to detail, and ability to identify missing scope will directly affect both the homeowner experience and project profitability.

If you take pride in producing accurate estimates, understanding the details behind the numbers, communicating confidently with clients, and helping turn ambitious custom-home designs into financially sound construction projects, this position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.