Fixtures & trim
Water closets, lavatories, sinks, showers, and drinking fountains matched to the fixture schedule by tag, with carriers, supplies, and trim included.
Plumbing EstimatingPlumbing estimates
Plumbing estimates
that hold up at the pressure test.
Your Buildbid agent reads the plumbing drawings, fixture schedules, and specs, then returns fixtures, piping, and equipment — priced at your rates, in minutes.
Fixtures from the schedulePiping by material and sizeEquipment at your vendor quotes
What the agent takes off. Every fixture and run.
Quantities come off your drawings and specs. Costs come from your book. Nothing is filled in from a per-fixture average.
Sanitary waste & vent
Waste, vent, and drain piping by material and diameter, measured from the plans and risers, with fittings, cleanouts, and hangers counted.
Domestic water
Cold, hot, and recirculating water piping by size and material, with insulation, valves, and backflow devices itemized separately.
Water heaters & equipment
Water heaters, booster pumps, expansion tanks, and mixing valves pulled from the equipment schedule and priced at your vendor quotes.
Storm & roof drainage
Roof drains, overflow drains, and storm leaders measured to the point of connection, so roof drainage never gets lost between trades.
Gas & specialty piping
Natural gas, medical gas, and specialty systems scoped by run and pressure class, ready to self-perform or carry as a sub number.
Underground & in-slab
Below-slab waste and water lines with excavation, bedding, and backfill flagged, so underground work is priced before the slab pour.
Testing, sterilization & permits
Pressure testing, disinfection, inspections, and permit fees surfaced as line items you decide on, instead of absorbed as overhead.
What you get back
Quantity takeoff
Every fixture, pipe, and fitting with units, locations, and the drawing it came from.
Fixture and equipment comparison
Schedule quantities against your vendor quotes, so substitutions are visible before you commit.
Labor hours by system
Hours per system and per floor, so you can check the schedule against the number.
Your rates, your markup
Material, labor, and sub rates you set — applied the same way on every bid.
And the summary: a bid you can defend line by line, out the door before the addendum deadline.
Where plumbing bids leak money.
Four assumptions that decide whether a plumbing bid makes margin. Your agent makes each one explicit, priced, and visible before you submit.
Fixture-unit pricing
A dollars-per-fixture rule hides long waste runs and deep risers — and that's where the labor goes.
Underground conditions
Rock, groundwater, and deep inverts under the slab turn a simple rough-in into a dig you didn't price.
Material escalation
Copper and PVC pricing that moved since the last bid quietly erodes margin across every run.
Points of connection
Where your scope ends at the site utilities is often unclear. Five feet outside the building can be fifty.
How it works
1
We build your agent
Tell us how you price plumbing work — your assemblies, labor units, vendor discounts, and markups. We train a custom AI agent on your way of bidding.
2
Drop in your plans
Upload the plumbing drawings, fixture schedules, and specs. Your agent reads them and builds a detailed plumbing takeoff.
3
Get the estimate fast
Review quantities, labor hours, and a complete line-item estimate in a fraction of the usual time — then tweak, approve, and send the bid.
How to estimate plumbing bids
Bidding plumbing jobs accurately means counting fixtures, measuring piping by system, and pricing equipment from the schedules. Here is the process.
- 01
Count fixtures from the schedule
Count every lavatory, water closet, sink, floor drain, and specialty fixture by type, along with carriers, trim, and supports.
- 02
Take off waste, vent, and storm piping
Measure DWV and storm piping by size and material, and count fittings, cleanouts, and roof drains.
- 03
Take off domestic water piping
Measure hot, cold, and recirculating water lines by size, then add valves, insulation, and hangers.
- 04
Price equipment
Water heaters, pumps, backflow preventers, and booster systems come off the equipment schedule — get vendor quotes early.
- 05
Apply labor units and rough-in
Convert fixture counts and pipe footage into hours for underground, rough-in, and trim-out, adjusting for building height and access.
- 06
Cover site utilities and permits
Confirm where your scope starts at the building — water service, sewer tie-in, and gas — and carry permits, testing, and disinfection.
Do plumbers bid per fixture?
Per-fixture pricing is a common quick check, but piping lengths and equipment vary too much between jobs to bid on fixture count alone.
What is commonly missed on plumbing bids?
Underground work below the slab, the point of connection to site utilities, and pipe insulation.
Buildbid.ai builds a custom AI agent that does these steps on your plans, at your rates, so every plumbing bid goes out faster and more consistent.
Read the full plumbing estimating guide →Ready to put an AI agent
on your plumbing estimates?
Send us a set of plumbing drawings and how you price fixtures and piping today. We'll show you the takeoff and the number a custom Buildbid agent comes back with.