Budget estimates and why they are not quotes
What the budget estimate on a takeoff means, what the prices are, and what to use it for.
A budget estimate is your takeoff priced with reference prices: typical retail prices kept by LumberSet. It gives you a number to budget with before any yard has quoted the job.
Where to find it
Open a released takeoff and look for the budget estimate. Each line shows the reference price it matched and the line total, with a total for the whole job.
Where the prices come from
LumberSet keeps a price book of typical prices for dimension lumber, panels, engineered lumber and common hardware. For now it covers the United States. They are budget figures, not anyone's offer. If the price book has not been reviewed yet, the budget estimate says so.
Why it is not a quote
- Nobody has agreed to sell you anything at these prices.
- Prices move, and a yard's prices depend on volume, delivery and relationship.
- Some lines may have no reference price and show as unpriced.
Use the budget to sanity check a bid, to compare designs, and to decide whether a job is worth pursuing. To buy materials, get real quotes.
Getting real quotes
Send an RFQ. Choose the yards you want to hear from and each gets a private link to the material list. Their totals line up side by side on your RFQ page. See "RFQs and the supplier reply page".
Exporting the budget
Choose Export CSV on the takeoff and the budget appears beside each line, so you can work with it in your own tools.