Count the cost before you build.
Know if your project pencils before you close, borrow, or hire a contractor. A Cornerstone estimator walks the property, and your Preliminary Estimate Report arrives 24–48 hours later.
- Priced from real Detroit project data: what we've paid trades on completed projects, plus current subcontractor pricing.
- An AACE Class 4 estimate: a low, target, and high range, every line by trade, labor and material separated.
- The biggest risks named up front, with dollar exposure and what to do about each.
- Free* for any project size when you control the property and your funding is in place. $150 otherwise.
How it works
Preliminary Estimate
A site walk, then your report 24–48 hours later: investment range, line items by trade, risk assessment, and recommended next steps.
Preconstruction
Every allowance in the estimate replaced with a verified bid or supplier quote, plus a schedule and a draw plan your lender can underwrite.
Construction
Award Cornerstone the work as general contractor or construction manager, and your preconstruction fee comes off the contract price.
One price is a guess.
Three leveled bids on the same signed scope is the market. That's what you get in preconstruction.
Budgets break in the gaps.
Missing inclusions become change orders. A signed, line-by-line scope closes the gaps before work starts.
Lenders fund proof.
Verified bids, a real schedule, and a draw plan built to your lender's requirements, in one package.
Inside your Preliminary Estimate
Not a one-line number. A detailed report sized to your scope, priced from what we've paid trades on completed Detroit projects, with every source disclosed.
2-unit duplex redevelopment · Detroit
Full renovation · 7,116 sq ft · AACE Class 4
Every line split into labor and material, organized by CSI division.
Completed-project costs and current subcontractor pricing. Published benchmarks fill only the gaps, and those lines are labeled.
The biggest unknowns, named up front, with what we'll do about each.
When is preconstruction worth it?
The estimate tells you whether a project makes sense. Preconstruction turns it into a price you can take to a lender. Here's when it's time.
Single family · 1–4 units
$1,499- Your budget is tight and costly change orders could ruin your profit margin or personal savings.
- You're ready to build and want to compare multiple quotes without meeting 10+ contractors.
- Your lender needs a contractor budget and draw schedule to issue financing.
Infill new construction
$1,999- You have plans, or a plan set in progress, and need real hard costs.
- You're seeking construction financing.
- You're choosing between lots and need a cost to build before you commit.
Multifamily · 5+ units
from $2,499- You're under contract and want certainty on construction cost while building your sources and uses.
- You're preparing a lender, LIHTC, or tax-credit application.
- You want to refine CapEx and OpEx assumptions with verified contractor bids before closing.
Clear scope around $50,000 or less? We can often skip preconstruction and go straight to a bid.
What your fee buys
Two to four weeks of work by our estimators, procurement team, and project managers, ending in one bid report you can build from, finance from, and hold every contractor to.
Signed scope of work
Every room and line item is finalized and signed with you. Every contractor prices the exact same scope, with inclusions and exclusions spelled out, so you compare apples to apples.
Competitive bidding
Your scope goes out to our vetted trade network. We collect three or more bids per trade, then level them line by line so they compare fairly. You keep every bid and every contractor's contact, whether or not you build with us.
Independent takeoff
An independent estimator produces the quantity takeoff, bill of materials, and labor estimate before the bids come back.
Verified supplier pricing
Materials are priced against your selections with real supplier quotes and confirmed lead times, so the scope, the design, and the bids all describe the same building.
A real project schedule
Real durations, supplier lead times, subcontractor availability, and inspection sequencing, with contingency stated plainly.
Financing alignment
We work with your lender, or your preferred way of funding the project, so the budget, schedule, and draw milestones match how your money is released.
Your investment
| Project type | Scope | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single family | Renovation of an existing 1–4 unit residential property | $1,499 |
| Infill | New construction on a vacant residential lot, 1–4 units | $1,999 |
| Multifamily | 5 to 20 units | $2,499 |
| Multifamily, larger | Each additional unit above 20 | +$25 / unit |
| Portfolio | 100+ units, or 5+ buildings | Custom quote |
Credited when you build with us
As general contractor or construction manager. And if you don't build with us, you still keep everything: the signed scope, verified bids, supplier quotes, schedule, and direct contact with every contractor who bid.
Payment is due when the preconstruction agreement is signed. Third-party investigations, such as a sewer camera or structural engineer, are billed at cost, only when needed and with your approval. Architectural and engineering design fees are not included; permits are included in the construction bid. Bid pricing typically holds 60–90 days.
BEFORE
AFTERSingle-family kitchen, Mohican Regent, Detroit
BEFORE
AFTERMultifamily unit bathroom, Wade Manor, Inkster
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
Luke 14:28Know your number first.
Two minutes to request. Your report 24–48 hours after the site walk.