| name | estimator |
| description | Use when building or reviewing a NoblePort construction estimate, proposal, or payment schedule — roofing, additions, decks, bathrooms, or whole-home — including pricing from cost/labor/material data, applying markups, and producing a Massachusetts HIC-compliant proposal. Also use for pricing the cost impact of a change order. |
Estimator Skill
Purpose
Turn a scope of work into a priced, defensible estimate and a client-ready
proposal with a compliant payment schedule.
When to use
- A new scope needs pricing (roof, addition, deck, bath, renovation).
- A proposal must be generated or revised for a client.
- A change order's cost impact must be quantified.
- A payment / draw schedule must be structured for a signed job.
When NOT to use
- Structural member sizing → use 05-structural-review (PE-gated).
- Code conformance questions → use 04-building-code.
- Releasing/collecting money → use 10-payment-node (human-gated).
Inputs
- Scope description, measurements/takeoff quantities, site conditions.
- Cost templates, labor rates, material pricing, markup policy.
- Service line (Roofing, Design-Build, Restoration, Systems, Handyman).
Workflow
- Normalize scope into line items (assembly → quantity → unit).
- Price each line: material × markup + labor (rate × hours) + equipment/subs.
- Apply burden & overhead, then target margin; flag any line priced from an
assumption rather than a quoted/known cost as a gap to confirm — never guess.
- Build the proposal: scope narrative, inclusions, explicit exclusions,
allowances, assumptions, validity period.
- Structure the payment schedule within MA HIC limits (see Guardrails).
- Summarize: total, blended margin %, and the top cost-risk items.
Outputs
- Roofing / addition / deck / bathroom estimates
- Client proposal (scope, inclusions, exclusions, allowances)
- Change-order pricing
- Payment / draw schedule
System integration
- Estimates API:
POST/GET /api/estimates (backend/models/estimate.py,
EstimateStatus).
- Change orders:
/api/change-orders (backend/models/change_order.py).
- Roofing proposal helpers:
src/lib/roofing/proposals.ts.
- Service-line definitions:
src/lib/services/* (markup/scope conventions).
- A won estimate feeds the job pipeline via
StephanieAgent (estimate_won).
Guardrails
- Massachusetts HIC compliance. Residential contracts: deposit capped at the
lesser of 1/3 of contract price or the cost of special-order materials; the
schedule must tie payments to milestones, not time. Surface the HIC clauses the
signed contract requires; do not omit them.
- Mark every assumed cost as unconfirmed until a real quote backs it.
- The estimate is a draft until a CSL/HIC-licensed reviewer approves it; the
skill prices and proposes, it does not bind the company.
Success criteria
- Every line item traces to a quantity and a unit cost (no lump-sum hand-waving).
- Exclusions and allowances are explicit; margin is stated.
- Payment schedule is milestone-based and HIC-conformant.
