# Craft Estimate Pro

> Construction estimating software for Tampa Bay general contractors. Price any job from current local material and labor costs and see your margin at three markup tiers before you send the bid.

For the Tampa Bay general contractor who loses margin to guesswork and slow, hand-built estimates, Craft Estimate Pro prices every job from real, current local material and labor costs and shows the exact margin at three markup tiers — Bare, +25%, and +50% — so you bid fast, protect your number, and know your profit before you sign.

Key facts:
- Category: construction estimating software for tampa bay general contractors
- Service area: Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Lakeland, Bradenton (ZIP prefixes 335, 336, 337, 338, 342)
- Cost basis: current Craftsman 2026 costbook data with ZIP-level Tampa Bay modifiers
- Every estimate reads at three tiers: Bare (floor, never a bid), +25% (expected correct-bid rung), +50% (strong margin)
- Line grounding statuses: GROUND, FLAG, SWING, UNMAPPED — unpriced scope stays visible
- MCP endpoint available for authorized AI assistants (authenticated only; anonymous role has no data access)
- Grounded cost reference — not a bid. Bare = Craftsman material + labor, no overhead/profit; national rates with combined Avg area modifier.

## Pages

- [Home](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app): Accurate job estimates built from real Tampa Bay costs — with your margin locked in.
- [Features](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/features): estimating depth, grounded costs, the margin ladder, bid documents
- [Tampa Bay Construction Cost Index](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/tampa-bay-cost-index): quarterly first-party bare-cost index, July 2026
- [Resources](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/resources): Tampa Bay cost guides, estimating guides, glossary
- [AI information](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/llm-info): canonical descriptions + MCP details for AI systems
- [Legal](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/legal): disclaimers, data licensing, privacy posture

## Guides

- [Kitchen remodel cost in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/kitchen-remodel-cost-tampa): What a kitchen remodel costs in Tampa Bay in 2026: component-level bare costs for tile, paint, drywall, flooring, and electrical work, and how contractors turn them into a bid.
- [Bathroom remodel cost in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/bathroom-remodel-cost-tampa): Bathroom remodel costs in Tampa Bay in 2026: bare-cost ranges for tile, fixture work, paint, and drywall from current local cost data, plus how a bid gets built from them.
- [Framing cost per square foot in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/framing-cost-per-sqft-tampa): Framing costs per square foot in Tampa Bay in 2026: bare-cost ranges for wall, floor, and roof framing from current construction cost data, and what moves them.
- [Roof replacement cost in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/roof-replacement-cost-tampa): Roof replacement costs in Tampa Bay in 2026: shingle tear-off and replacement bare-cost ranges per square from current renovation cost data, and what drives the total.
- [Concrete slab cost in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/concrete-slab-cost-tampa): Concrete slab costs in Tampa Bay in 2026: bare-cost ranges per square foot for slab work from current construction cost data, plus the site factors that move the price.
- [Whole-home renovation cost in Tampa Bay (2026)](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/cost-guides/whole-home-renovation-cost-tampa): How whole-home renovation costs in Tampa Bay actually build up in 2026: trade-by-trade bare-cost ranges, why per-square-foot rules of thumb mislead, and how bids get made.
- [Bare cost](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/bare-cost): Bare cost is material plus labor for a work item, before contractor overhead and profit. What it includes, what it excludes, and why bidding at bare cost loses money.
- [Markup vs margin](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/markup-vs-margin): Markup and margin are not the same number. A 25% markup is a 20% margin. The difference, the math, and why confusing them quietly costs contractors money.
- [Overhead](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/overhead): Overhead is the cost of running the contracting business rather than building the job: insurance, vehicles, office, estimating time. How it differs from job costs and where it lives in a bid.
- [Unit cost](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/unit-cost): Unit cost prices work per measurable unit: per square foot, linear foot, or each. How unit-cost estimating works and when it beats lump-sum guessing.
- [Assembly](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/assembly): An assembly bundles the components of a repeatable construction element into one priced unit. What assemblies are good for and where component-level pricing wins.
- [Takeoff](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/takeoff): A takeoff converts plans or a site walk into measured quantities ready to price. What a good takeoff includes and why quantity errors dwarf rate errors.
- [Contingency](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/contingency): Contingency is a named reserve for defined unknowns, not padding. How to size it, where it belongs in a bid, and why hidden padding damages trust.
- [Allowance](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/allowance): An allowance reserves budget for a selection not yet made: fixtures, finishes, appliances. How allowances work in a bid and how bad allowances blow up budgets.
- [Draw schedule](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/draw-schedule): A draw schedule staggers payment across a job's milestones. How draws protect both parties and what a fair Tampa Bay draw structure looks like.
- [Change order](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/glossary/change-order): A change order documents and prices scope changes after contract. Why disciplined change orders protect margin and relationships, and what one must contain.
- [How to estimate a remodeling job](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/guides/how-to-estimate-a-remodeling-job): A working process for estimating remodeling jobs: scope listing, takeoff, unit-cost pricing from current local data, grounding review, and reading the total at three markup tiers.
- [How to price a construction job in Florida](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/guides/how-to-price-a-construction-job-florida): Pricing a construction job in Florida: local cost grounding, wind-code and permitting realities, licensing requirements on bids, allowances, draw schedules, and margin discipline.
- [What markup should a general contractor use?](https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/guides/what-markup-should-a-general-contractor-use): Choosing a general contractor markup: why 25% over bare cost is the expected correct-bid rung, when 50% is right, the markup-vs-margin trap, and how to make the choice explicit.

Full page text for AI systems: https://gc-estimator.lovable.app/llms-full.txt