Estimate Desk
How the Estimate Desk works
The desk uses JKM Construction's own Kitsap County unit prices. This page shows what goes into a band, what stays out of it, and how far to trust it.
What the desk gives you
You choose a project, enter its size, and pick finishes and options. The desk returns a point total, a planning band around it, a split into material, labor and other costs, an approximate number of working days on site, and every line item behind the number.
It is a planning tool. The band is a Kitsap planning range, about ±15%, not a contract price. A site visit sets the number, and the written estimate we give you after it replaces the band.
JKM's own prices
The unit prices, allowances and labor rates in the desk are JKM Construction's own planning figures for work in Kitsap County. They are planning figures, not a promise for your site. Prices on your job move with access, soil, the age of the house and what is found when a wall is opened.
These are JKM's own unit prices. About Ian Laughlin.
Worked example
How a number is built
Every estimate is a list of line items. Each has a quantity, a unit, a unit cost and a total, and each total is split into material, labor and other.
| Line item | Quantity | Unit cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protection, demo, and haul-off | 120 sf | $21.50 | $2,580 |
| Fit and patch around the new boxes | 1 ls | $1,050 | $1,050 |
| Semi-custom cabinets, installed | 21 lf | $770 | $16,170 |
| Quartz counters, fabricated and set | 43.1 sf | $145 | $6,242 |
| Tile backsplash | 35.7 sf | $33 | $1,178 |
| Appliance package — range, dishwasher, microwave | 1 ls | $3,660 | $3,660 |
| LVP floor, with waste | 132 sf | $11.50 | $1,518 |
| Electrical — lighting, devices, and circuits in this scope | 1 ls | $3,070 | $3,070 |
| Reconnect the sink and dishwasher in place | 1 ls | $950 | $950 |
| Permit allowance — confirm with the city | 1 ls | $480 | $480 |
| Point total | $36,898 | ||
Sizes you enter turn into quantities. The cabinet run, for example, is estimated from the room size unless a traced length replaces it in the takeoff. Waste is its own line where it matters, such as flooring, so it is not hidden inside a unit price. Permit and drawing lines are allowances: the jurisdiction sets the real fee.
Smaller trade jobs carry a minimum. When your inputs price below it, the desk adds a line namedSmall-job minimum so you can see it rather than guess at it.
The band
Why plus or minus 15%
A planning number needs a range, because the things the desk cannot see are the things that move a price.
The low end of the band is the point total times 0.85 and the high end is the point total times 1.15, each rounded to the whole dollar. For the default kitchen above, a point total of $36,898 gives a band of$31,363 – $42,433. On the result we show it rounded, to the nearest $1,000 (or $100 under $10,000), as $31,000 – $42,000, so it does not look more precise than it is.
The 15% is a planning allowance, not a guarantee that the final price lands inside it. A house with a failed subfloor, a wall that cannot take fasteners, or a lot that is harder to reach can leave the band, which is why the desk lists its assumptions in notes under every result.
Contingency
Where the desk holds money for surprises
Three large estimates include a contingency line inside the point total. It is higher when the existing building was built before 1978.
| Estimate | Built 1978 or later | Built before 1978 |
|---|---|---|
| Basement finishing | 5% | 13% |
| Addition | 6% | 12% |
| ADU, detached | 8% | 8% |
| ADU, attached | 8% | 16% |
| ADU, garage conversion | 8% | 16% |
On a detached ADU the existing-building question does not apply, so its contingency does not change. On the other estimates there is no contingency line, and the notes under the result say what to hold back.
Exclusions
What no band includes
These five are listed under every result on the desk. The estimates Ian sends list them too.
- Hazardous-material abatement. Asbestos and lead are common on pre-1978 houses and are separately licensed work.
- Structural repair discovered after demolition.
- A new electrical panel, water service, or septic, unless that line is on this estimate.
- Design fees, except where a drawing line is shown.
- Financing and temporary housing. (Washington sales tax, 9.3%, is included in these prices.)
Individual estimates add their own exclusions after these. An ADU leaves out septic design and shoreline permits. A basement leaves out a sump or French drain. Electrical leaves out utility fees. Each one appears under the result it applies to.
Next
From a band to a bid
Use the desk to decide whether a project fits your budget before you spend time on drawings. Then ask for a site visit. We measure, look at what is behind the walls, check which office issues your permit (permit guides), and give you a written estimate you can compare line by line with any other.
Planning band for Kitsap County. Not a bid.
A site visit sets the number.