7 Best-Selling Home Estimating Books Millions Love

What if estimating rehab costs was less guesswork and more precise science? J Scott, who transitioned from Silicon Valley management to real estate investing, developed a method from flipping over $60 million in property to guide you through every renovation expense. You get concrete skills like creating detailed scopes of work, spotting costly problems like mold or termites, and assigning accurate prices to 150+ common rehab tasks. Whether you’re prepping your first rehab or refining your budgeting chops, this book breaks down how to build your renovation plan with a grounded, financially savvy approach.

What started as William Asdal's mission to help builders protect their profits became a detailed guide that challenges how you approach home project estimates. He presents estimating not as guesswork but as a deliberate process tied closely to your business's financial goals. You'll learn how to scrutinize every expense line and adopt user-friendly systems that safeguard your bottom line. For example, Asdal walks you through modifying business processes to create consistent, bankable profits rather than leaving money on the table. If you're a builder or remodeler aiming to tighten your financial grip, this book addresses that directly without overcomplication.

This tailored book explores the essentials of budgeting and estimating renovation costs with a focus on your unique home project needs. It covers detailed cost breakdowns, common expenses, and practical estimation techniques that match your background and goals. By combining widely validated approaches with your specific interests, this personalized guide reveals how to develop confident, accurate budgets for home rehabs. It examines how to assess project variables, anticipate unexpected costs, and organize expenses clearly, helping you navigate renovation budgeting with clarity. The tailored content ensures you focus on what matters most for your skill level and project scope, making complex cost estimation accessible and relevant.

Jay P. Christofferson, a licensed general contractor and chairperson at Brigham Young University’s Construction Management program, shares his expertise on using Microsoft Excel to streamline home estimating. You’ll learn how to build accurate, efficient estimates by programming formulas for concrete, labor, permits, and more, all tailored for residential construction projects. The book guides you through creating databases and automating tasks, making it easier to save time and reduce errors in your estimates. If you manage home building projects or are involved in construction cost estimation, this book equips you with practical Excel skills that directly impact your bottom line.

Jay C. Christofferson leverages his dual experience as a licensed contractor and construction management professor to guide you through harnessing Excel for home building estimates. You’ll learn to create tailored estimation models that boost speed and accuracy, essential for making key management decisions in construction. The book includes practical examples and templates, along with a demo of the EstimatorPRO software, illustrating how to program formulas and automate workflows in Excel. This approach benefits builders and remodelers who want to streamline their estimating process and gain reliable cost projections without complex software.

Michael C. Stone brings over fifty years of hands-on experience in the construction and remodeling industry to this practical guide on residential estimating. Unlike typical manuals that gloss over the complexities, Stone dives into specifics like labor rates, material allowances, and accounting for errors, helping you build a reliable system rather than just guesswork. You’ll learn how to set markups that cover overhead and secure at least an 8% net profit, with chapters designed for quick reference on essential estimating details. This book suits contractors, estimators, or business owners who want to sharpen their pricing accuracy and improve profitability without overcomplicating the process.

This personalized book explores the practical use of Excel to enhance your home estimating process, focusing on improving accuracy and boosting efficiency. It covers essential Excel functions tailored to construction cost estimation, from building customizable templates to automating calculations for materials and labor. Drawing on widely validated knowledge, it matches your background and goals to help you master relevant Excel tools and techniques for home renovation budgeting. The book reveals how to streamline your workflows by applying Excel’s capabilities specifically for home projects, ensuring you can produce detailed, reliable estimates that reflect your unique needs. This tailored guide transforms complex data management into accessible, manageable steps that build your confidence in estimating home costs.

David Pratt's decades of experience as a professional quantity surveyor and civil engineering professor underpin this detailed guide to residential cost estimating. You learn to navigate the arithmetic behind pricing excavation, concrete, carpentry, and other trades, plus how to prepare precise takeoffs and material bills. The book goes beyond basics, showing you how to assess markup, summarize bids, and handle remodeling estimates with clarity. Whether you're new to construction costing or seeking a reliable reference, this book equips you with practical skills to estimate accurately and confidently in residential projects.

Jerry Householder, drawing on decades as a builder and civil engineering professor, teams with Emile Marchive III to demystify the complexities of home construction estimating. You'll learn how to accurately perform quantity takeoffs using both traditional methods and modern software tools, understand different estimate types, and integrate cost control with scheduling and purchasing. The book offers practical worksheets, checklists, and a glossary to deepen your grasp of estimating concepts, making your project budgeting more precise. Whether you're a contractor aiming to keep projects under budget or a builder refining your estimating process, this book equips you with concrete techniques and a reliable database approach to improve efficiency and profitability.