Special to Ontario Construction News
For Hunter, the owner at J&J Construction, estimating starts with a AI voice recording in the field and some drawings. It ends with a fully drafted takeoff and estimate ready for him to review at his desk. He’s now creating 3.3x the estimates he used to, from 3 estimates a week to now 10 estimates. He uses three different new technologies to achieve this.
By recording his site visits, using Claude and feeding drawing material into Field24, an artificial intelligence tool made for construction, Hunter has made AI part of his everyday estimating process. He now uses the Field24 platform for all his estimating, saving time between visiting a project and preparing a price.
Field24 conducted a case study that offers a look at how contractors can connect information gathered in the field with the work that follows in the office.
A lot of the information needed to prepare an estimate emerges during a walkthrough or is on the plans: what the customer wants, the condition of the space and the work being discussed. On the plans, you’ll get all your quantities and scope. Turning those observations and drawings into a clear scope can usually multiple additional rounds of work after the visit.
Hunter’s process brings those two stages closer together.
He uses an AI recording device to document his jobsite visits, then passes the captured material into Field24 to begin preparing his estimates. That gives the platform context about the work being discussed, helping connect what happens on site with what needs to be priced.
Field24 combines that information with AI-powered takeoffs. Contractors can upload construction drawings and ask the platform to identify scope, measure quantities and build an estimate. It outputs a marked up drawing with evidence of where the quantity was taken from. Instead of manually working through each sheet and transferring measurements into a spreadsheet, they can use the AI-generated takeoff as a starting point for review and pricing.
For Hunter, who uses Field24 for all his estimating, this connects the site visit to a process that would otherwise involve several separate tasks: organizing notes, reviewing drawings, calculating quantities and preparing a proposal.
Contractors can also question the work as they review it. Field24 lets users ask questions about the drawings and locate the relevant information directly on the plans with the markup. Its ‘Review Feature’ flags assumptions and judgment calls that may need checking, helping contractors focus on decisions that could affect the price or turn into RFIs.
Field24’s intent is to give contractors a takeoff they can examine and refine. Unlike other AI tools, Field24 only provides quantities for measurements it can stand behind. Quantities, scope and pricing still need to reflect how the contractor plans to carry out the work.
Field24 strongly believes that AI can’t do 100% of the takeoff. The owner like Hunter, or estimator is still heavily involved by filling in the gaps that the AI did not produce quantities for.
Contractors interested in seeing the process firsthand can join an upcoming webinar with Hunter, where he will walk through how he uses Field24, from recording jobsite visits to preparing takeoffs and estimates. The session will offer a practical look at how he has incorporated AI into his estimating routine. Register at field24.ai/masterclass.
