Pricing at 10pm
You're on site all day, so quotes get done in the evenings and at weekends.
Quantity surveyor alternative for builders
Need a QS to price the job? Get the costs without the QS fee.
Send us your drawings. An estimator calls you within 24 hours, and you get a full labour and materials breakdown plus a client-ready Quote Pack in 3 to 5 working days. We give you the costs. You stay in control of the price.
From £90 + VAT. Takes under 2 minutes to send us the job.
200+
estimates completed in 2026
£10k to £1m+
residential projects priced
3 to 5
working days to your estimate
UK wide
priced remotely from your drawings
Getting a QS in for every job doesn't add up.
A quantity surveyor is the right call on big, complicated contracts. But most builders just need an accurate price for an extension, a loft or a refurb, so they can quote it and win it. Paying a percentage of the build for that eats the margin before you've started.
So you price it yourself, late at night, and hope you haven't missed anything.
Too high or too low
Price high and you lose the job. Price low and you win it, then find there's no profit in it.
One missed line
Forget a bit of labour or a load of materials and the margin's gone.
TruTrade vs a QS
Estimate, QS or do it yourself?
What you get for pricing a typical £60,000 single storey extension.
| TruTrade Estimate | Traditional QS | Pricing it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to price the job | £180 + VAT | Around £1,200, at about 2% of the build | Your evenings and weekends |
| Turnaround | 3 to 5 working days | Depends on their workload | Whenever you get a spare night |
| Full labour and materials breakdown | ✓ | ✓ | If you've got the time |
| Material take-off with exact quantities | ✓ | ✓ | Rarely |
| Client-ready Quote Pack | Yes. Included free | Not usually | You make your own |
| Set your margin, overheads and contingency line by line | Built in, with live sliders | You rework their figures | In your spreadsheet |
| Turn it into a live project when you win | Yes. One click | ✗ | ✗ |
| Site visits, tendering and contract admin | Not included. We're not a QS firm | ✓ | Down to you |
Cost to price the job
- TruTrade Estimate
- £180 + VAT
- Traditional QS
- Around £1,200, at about 2% of the build
- Pricing it yourself
- Your evenings and weekends
Turnaround
- TruTrade Estimate
- 3 to 5 working days
- Traditional QS
- Depends on their workload
- Pricing it yourself
- Whenever you get a spare night
Full labour and materials breakdown
- TruTrade Estimate
- ✓
- Traditional QS
- ✓
- Pricing it yourself
- If you've got the time
Material take-off with exact quantities
- TruTrade Estimate
- ✓
- Traditional QS
- ✓
- Pricing it yourself
- Rarely
Client-ready Quote Pack
- TruTrade Estimate
- Yes. Included free
- Traditional QS
- Not usually
- Pricing it yourself
- You make your own
Set your margin, overheads and contingency line by line
- TruTrade Estimate
- Built in, with live sliders
- Traditional QS
- You rework their figures
- Pricing it yourself
- In your spreadsheet
Turn it into a live project when you win
- TruTrade Estimate
- Yes. One click
- Traditional QS
- ✗
- Pricing it yourself
- ✗
Site visits, tendering and contract admin
- TruTrade Estimate
- Not included. We're not a QS firm
- Traditional QS
- ✓
- Pricing it yourself
- Down to you
TruTrade price is our Extensions and Renovations estimate. QS fee based on the typical guide of about 2% of the project value quoted by Homebuilding & Renovating and Build It magazine. QS fees vary, and a QS offers services we don't.
What you get
We give you the costs. You stay in control of the price.
Every estimate comes with everything you need to quote the job with confidence.
- A call with your estimator within 24 hours to go through the job
- A full labour and materials breakdown, priced at current UK supplier rates
- A material take-off with exact quantities, so you don't over-order
- A free, client-ready Quote Pack branded as your own, with a payment schedule
- Up to two rounds of revisions, backed by the TruTrade Estimate Guarantee
How it works
From drawings to a price you can send
-
1
Send us the job
Upload your drawings, photos or job details. They don't need to be perfect. It takes under 2 minutes.
-
2
Talk it through
Your estimator calls within 24 hours to go over the job and ask any questions.
-
3
Set your price and send it
Your estimate lands in 3 to 5 working days. Set your margin and send your client the Quote Pack.
Pricing
One fixed fee per estimate, not a slice of the build.
Pick the estimate that fits the job and pay up front. Your estimator checks the job and confirms it's the right one.
Single Works
£90
+ VAT. Garden rooms, kitchens and bathrooms, knock-throughs and garage conversions.
Most popular
Extensions and Renovations
£180
+ VAT. Extensions, internal and external renovations, and loft conversions.
Bespoke and New Builds
£255
+ VAT. New builds, multi-part jobs like an extension plus a loft, and specialist work. Bigger specialist jobs priced on request.
- Every estimate includes the call with your estimator, the full breakdown, the material take-off and your Quote Pack.
- See all estimate types
Straight answer
Do you still need a quantity surveyor?
Sometimes, yes. We're not a QS firm, and we won't pretend to be. A good QS does a lot more than price a job.
But if you just need to price your own residential job so you can quote it and win it, that's exactly what TruTrade Estimates is for.
Get a QS when
- You're tendering a job out to several contractors
- You need site visits, valuations or a final account
- You need contract admin on a big build
- It's a commercial job
Get a TruTrade Estimate when
- You're pricing a residential job to win it
- The job is somewhere from £10k to £1m+
- You want the costs and to set the price yourself
- You want a Quote Pack ready to send
The TruTrade Estimate Guarantee
If we've missed something that's clearly in your plans or written scope, we'll put it right.
If we've missed something that's clearly in your plans or written scope, we'll put it right.
What builders say about our estimates
5-star Google reviews
“The quote pack alone wins me work. Clients think I've got a QS on the payroll, and the margin sliders mean the number that goes out is the number I meant.”
“I used to price on the hop and hope for the best. Now I set my margin before the client's even called back, and I know where every job stands on a Sunday night instead of finding out at the end.”
Won the job? Turn it into a project.
Your estimate carries straight into TruTrade Project Management. Budgets by stage, timesheets, wages and CIS, client updates and invoices, all on the same job.
1 month free, then £4.99 + VAT per seat per month.
Questions builders ask
Can't see yours? Call us on 01926 352236, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Is TruTrade a quantity surveyor?
No. We're not a QS firm. Our estimators price residential building work for builders, and you get a full breakdown you can quote from. For the jobs most builders would get a QS in to price, it does the same job for a fixed fee.
How much does a quantity surveyor cost compared with an estimate?
A QS usually charges about 2% of the build value, according to Homebuilding & Renovating and Build It magazine. On a £60,000 extension, that's around £1,200. A TruTrade estimate is a fixed fee of £90, £180 or £255 + VAT, depending on the job. QS fees vary, and a QS offers services we don't, such as site visits and contract admin.
Is there a TruTrade estimator near me?
You don't need one nearby. We price from your drawings, so we cover the whole of the UK. Our team is based in Leamington Spa, and your estimator calls you within 24 hours to go through the job.
Who prepares my estimate?
One of our estimators, from our team in Leamington Spa. They call you within 24 hours to go through the job, then cost every trade from your drawings at current UK supplier rates.
What do I need to send you?
Your drawings, photos or job details. They don't need to be perfect, as your estimator will call to fill any gaps. If you agree anything extra on the call, send it to us in writing too, so it's included in your estimate.
How long does an estimate take?
3 to 5 working days. Your estimator calls you within 24 hours of you sending the job.
Can I change the price before it goes to my client?
Yes. You set your margin, overheads and contingency line by line, or start from Competitive, Suggested or Premium. The client price updates as you go, then you send the Quote Pack.
What if you miss something?
Every estimate is covered by the TruTrade Estimate Guarantee. If we've missed something that's clearly in your plans or written scope, we'll put it right. Each estimate includes up to two rounds of reasonable revisions. Just let us know within 7 days of receiving it.
Do you price commercial jobs?
No. We price residential jobs only, from about £10k to £1m+. For commercial work, a QS is the right call.
Do I need Project Management to buy an estimate?
No. You can buy an estimate, set your margins and send the Quote Pack without a subscription. If you win the job and want to run it on TruTrade, start your free month of Project Management and turn the estimate into a project in one click.
Stop pricing at 10pm. Get the costs from us.
A full breakdown and a Quote Pack in 3 to 5 working days, from £90 + VAT. You set the price.
Questions first? Call us on 01926 352236.