Skoper, answered plainly
What to upload, what comes back, how long it takes, how accurate it is, and what it costs. If your question isn't here, email info@skoper.io.
What is Skoper?
Skoper is construction estimating software that reads a set of plans and returns a complete estimate. You upload the drawings as PDF, and about three minutes later you download an Excel workbook with the bid schedule, quantity takeoffs, and assumptions, plus a Word scope of work. It was built by a Florida general contractor for estimating real bids.
What do I upload?
Your drawings, as PDF. Skoper also accepts JPG, PNG, and WebP images of sheets, Excel spreadsheets such as a bid form or a schedule, and Word documents such as a written scope or spec section (Skoper reads the text; drawings pasted into a Word file are not read, so send those as PDF). A single upload can be up to 500 MB. You can also type a scope description alongside the plans to steer the estimate. A spec book is optional: if it helps define the scope, add it and Skoper reads it alongside the plans. Specifications count toward the page limits, so leave out volumes that don't affect the bid.
What do I get back?
Two files. An Excel workbook with three sheets: Contractor Estimate (the bid schedule with overhead, profit, insurance, bond, and contingency), Takeoffs (every line item with quantity, unit, unit cost, and labor cost), and Assumptions & Sources (where every quantity and price came from). And a Word document: the scope of work with basis of estimate, exclusions, and risks. See What you get for the full breakdown.
How long does it take?
About three minutes for a typical plan set. Very large sets, a few hundred sheets, take longer, sometimes 15 to 20 minutes. Skoper reads every sheet rather than sampling, so time scales with the set. The hard limit is 600 pages per estimate.
Does Skoper read every page?
Yes. Every sheet is sent as both a high-resolution image and its extracted text layer, so Skoper sees the drawing and reads the schedules, notes, and dimensions on it. Nothing is sampled or skipped.
How accurate is it?
Every quantity in the workbook has a stated source: the sheet it came from, or a note that it was estimated. On the projects we have compared against experienced estimators, Skoper's numbers land within typical bid variance. It is not a substitute for review. Read the estimate before it goes in a bid, the same way you would read one from a new estimator. We describe one comparison where Skoper came up short, and what changed as a result, on How it works.
Can I use my own prices?
Yes. The Price Book holds your labor rates, unit prices, material prices, crew day rates, and subcontractor costs. When Skoper builds an estimate it uses your rates wherever they match the scope and marks those lines "User Price Book" in the workbook. Anything you have not priced gets a current market rate, marked "Market Rate Estimate." You can type entries in or import a CSV.
Where do prices come from if I don't have a price book?
From current market rates for the work and the location, each marked as a market rate estimate in the Assumptions & Sources sheet so you know which numbers to check first.
Can I edit the estimate?
Yes. After the estimate is generated, open it in the browser editor to change any takeoff line's description, quantity, unit, or unit cost, add lines, or delete them. Totals recompute as you go. When you finish, Skoper rebuilds both files. Editing and re-downloading does not use up an estimate.
How does Skoper handle overhead, profit, bond, and contingency?
They are separate rows on the Contractor Estimate sheet, each a live Excel formula against the subtotal. Skoper sets the percentages per project based on the risk it sees, and states its reasoning in the assumptions. Because they are formulas, you can change any percentage in Excel and the total updates.
Can I get an estimate from a description alone, with no drawings?
Yes. Type the scope and run it. Skoper returns a rough order-of-magnitude estimate, clearly labeled ROM in both files, with every assumed quantity marked "Estimated, not shown on documents." It is a budgeting number, not a bid.
What kinds of projects does it handle?
Any project that has drawings. Skoper takes off whatever is on the sheets, across commercial, residential, restoration, and public works: new construction, tenant build-outs, renovations, institutional and municipal buildings, multifamily, and single-family work, as a general contractor or a subcontractor bidding one trade. Run one of your past projects through the free estimates and compare it against your own number.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Skoper runs in the browser on Mac, Windows, or anything else. There is nothing to install and no seat license.
What happens to my plans?
Uploaded plan documents are stored securely and used only to prepare and deliver your estimate. They are not sold or shared with advertisers. The privacy policy has the details.
Is there a free trial?
Every account starts with 3 free estimates on your own plans, up to 150 pages of drawings each. You get the real Excel and Word files, not a preview, and we don't ask for a card.
What counts as an estimate?
One plan set uploaded and processed. Editing an estimate and re-downloading it does not count.
What does it cost after the free estimates?
Starter is $149 per month for 10 estimates a month. Professional is $349 per month for 30. Annual plans are $1,490 and $3,490, which is two months free. Unlimited is available for estimating departments; contact us. Pricing has the details.
Can I cancel?
Yes, any time, from your account page. You keep access through the end of the billing period.
Which plans does the FOUNDER code work on?
The FOUNDER code applies to Professional monthly. Annual plans already include two months free, so codes aren't offered at annual checkout.
Who built Skoper?
Paul Maloney, owner of Maloney Construction LLC in Florida (CBC #1266638). He built it because commercial estimates were taking his team 8 to 10 hours each, and that limited how many jobs they could bid. Skoper is used daily on his own company's bids.