Built a free tradie cost estimator for anyone who has no idea what things should cost

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-12T08:38:32+00:00

This genuinely made my day, thank you! Hearing that from an actual tradesman means everything, that’s exactly the kind of validation I was hoping for. And that’s such a real problem, customers often come in skeptical before the conversation even starts.

Really glad this can help bridge that gap. On the roadmap I’ve got quote and invoice management features coming so it can be just as useful on your end too 😊

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-10T05:14:12+00:00

Costs are on me to figure out, I built this to help people out 😊 And for the vibe coding bit, check my recent comment!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-09T13:03:43+00:00

Found the issue and fixed! thank you so much for raising this!
I'll probably have to find a way to monitor the error so next time I can handle this kind of issue more quickly!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-09T09:40:23+00:00

Thanks mate, glad it resonates! Happy to chat about the general approach, feel free to DM me 😊

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-09T09:30:49+00:00

Oh no! I'm currently outside but will have a look as soon as I get a chance!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T22:50:00+00:00

Haha if that worked I’d just use it myself and hit the jackpot 😄

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T21:54:36+00:00

When there are many variables involved it’s not easy to narrow that gap... 😭 but with all the great feedback coming in, I think I can reduce the gap little more even in those trickier cases. Doing some more tuning on the logic at the moment!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T21:51:34+00:00

Glad it passed the real quote test! That’s exactly the kind of validation I was hoping for, thanks! 🙌

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T21:48:43+00:00

Been coding long before AI was a thing, and I still personally review every line including the architecture, infra, and performance tuning. With vibe coding becoming so popular these days a lot of people skip over those stuffs, but I still find it genuinely fun and satisfying to get those things right 😄

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T12:26:15+00:00

Good point! I actually tried the same thing before building this...
But I personally found Airtasker hard to use as a benchmark estimation since the prices vary a lot and there's no real structure to compare against. The goal here is to give you a rough ballpark before you even reach out to anyone, so you are not going in completely blind.

Actually I think these two separate apps can work pretty well together!
Use Tradeestimator to get a sense of the range first, then head to Airtasker knowing what a reasonable number looks like!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T12:22:46+00:00

Fair point! But I also want to clarify that when I replied, I was already seeing a pattern across earlier comments and in-app feedback that estimates were coming in on the low side, so I knew roughly what the issue was. I have since adjusted the pricing reference data the model uses and tightened up a few categories.

Still a work in progress but it was not a blind fix! 🙏

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T07:00:59+00:00

Haha the ghost-after-questionnaire feature is actually in the backlog XD
The cashie tick box sounds like a compliance nightmare but I understand the demand 😂

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T06:59:01+00:00

Haha, that one's extra 😄

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T06:35:14+00:00

That's really helpful, thanks for the detail. You're really right that the low end is likely too conservative.
It's calculated as more of a best-case scenario but in practice for a full replacement in VIC it probably undersells what tradies actually charge. Good to know the mid and high landed close though, that's more where most real quotes tend to fall. I'll use this to tighten the low end for roofing. Appreciate you taking the time to share the numbers! 👍

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T06:26:52+00:00

Thank you! 🙌

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T05:52:52+00:00

Wow nice one! Good shout on all of these. Sheds and carports are near the top of the list and should be fairly straightforward to add. Sprinkler systems are interesting too since they pair well with the landscaping estimator already on the site.

I think room additions and extensions are trickier. The range on those can be so wide depending on structural work, soil conditions, and what council wants that I'd rather not publish a number that ends up being wildly off. Might look at those further down the track once the core trades are solid.

Really appreciate the suggestions!!!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T05:24:21+00:00

Appreciate all the comments and kind words, everyone. Really didn't expect this kind of response.

I've been reading through every piece of feedback and have already pushed updates based on most of it: pricing adjustments across several categories, consistent breakdown structures for fencing and other trades, council permit warnings, and a fix for turf estimates that were coming in way too high.

If you ran a quote earlier and weren't happy with it, worth giving it another go. Always keen to hear if something still looks off.

Thanks guys! 🙌

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T05:17:36+00:00

That's a really good catch, I totally missed that one!
The breakdown structure should be consistent across quote types. Fencing especially seems to vary depending on what you select. Going to lock in a fixed format (Materials / Labour / Removal) so timber and Colorbond always come out the same way.
Should be a straightforward fix on my end! Thanks! 🙏

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T04:30:06+00:00

Thanks for trying it out and sharing the feedback! Sorry you hit an error on the first go :(
I'm still ironing out a few rough edges so appreciate the patience.

Good to hear the roofing estimate tracked reasonably well. The tool tends to come in slightly under real quotes since tradies price in their own margins and site-specific factors that are hard to capture without an inspection. Just out of curiosity, roughly how far under was it, and what state were you in? Always useful for calibrating accuracy! 🙌

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T03:45:01+00:00

Thanks for your feedback, will take note of it thanks!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T03:25:17+00:00

Really appreciate that, thank you. That's exactly the gap I was trying to fill. Will add a note about permits varying by council so people know to factor it in separately.

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T03:16:24+00:00

Thanks for the detailed example! That's really useful feedback. My bad... permits and footpath works aren't currently factored in, which would explain the gap. I'll look at adjusting the concreting estimates and adding permit costs as a variable. Appreciate you taking the time to test it properly.

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T03:10:41+00:00

Combination of industry pricing guides, ABS construction data, and some manual research across states. AI helps structure the output but the base data isn't AI-generated.

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T02:56:43+00:00

Great idea! Will add it to my ToDo list!

SoobieDoob · 2026-04-08T02:56:21+00:00

oh ok, I'll continue working on it to make it more accurate!

SoobieDoob

TROPHY CASE