A Python-powered construction estimate engine for generating detailed cost breakdowns with labor, materials, and automated markups.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install estimate-builder
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install estimate-builder using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Estimate Builder?
The estimate-builder is a robust tool designed to streamline the creation of professional construction project estimates. Part of the Openclaw Skills ecosystem, it provides a programmatic approach to managing complex cost structures including labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor costs. This skill ensures that your budgeting process is both accurate and consistent by automating markup calculations and offering flexible export options for various stakeholders.
By leveraging this skill, developers and estimators can transition from error-prone manual spreadsheets to a structured data model. It allows for the precise application of overhead, profit, and contingency rates, ensuring that every financial aspect of a construction project is accounted for and validated before delivery.
Estimate Builder Use Cases
- Generating detailed construction cost breakdowns for bidding and proposals.
- Calculating complex markups including overhead, profit, and contingency across different bases.
- Organizing project costs using Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) codes for better tracking.
- Validating estimate data to identify missing descriptions, negative costs, or missing markups.
- Exporting project financial data to stakeholders in professional Excel formats.
How Estimate Builder Works
- Initialize the EstimateBuilder with project-specific details such as project name and unique ID.
- Add line items to the estimate, specifying the WBS code, description, quantity, unit price, and cost category.
- Configure project markups, defining whether they apply to the direct cost or the running subtotal.
- Execute the calculation engine to generate a comprehensive cost summary by category and determine the grand total.
- Run the validation suite to ensure data integrity and catch common estimation errors.
- Export the final estimate to an Excel workbook or a Pandas DataFrame for integration with other Openclaw Skills or external tools.
Estimate Builder Setup
To use this skill, ensure you have Python 3.x installed on your system. You will also need the pandas and openpyxl libraries for data processing and Excel generation.
# Install required dependencies
pip install pandas openpyxl
Once dependencies are installed, you can import the EstimateBuilder class into your project to start creating construction estimates.
Estimate Builder Data Schema & Taxonomy
The skill organizes data into a hierarchical structure using Python dataclasses and Enums to ensure type safety and clarity.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| CostCategory | Enum defining cost types: LABOR, MATERIAL, EQUIPMENT, SUBCONTRACTOR, OTHER. |
| EstimateLineItem | Stores individual item details including WBS codes, unit costs, and quantities. |
| Markup | Defines the name, rate (as decimal), and calculation base (direct vs subtotal). |
| CostSummary | Aggregated totals for each cost category used for high-level reporting. |
| EstimateBuilder | The primary controller managing the collection of items and export logic. |
Estimate Builder Advanced Features
- Bulk data ingestion via Pandas DataFrames for rapid estimate generation from existing datasets.
- Automated multi-sheet Excel export including a summary cover sheet, detailed line items, and markup breakdowns.
- Hierarchical grouping of items by WBS code prefixes for structured project reporting.
- Dual-mode markup application supporting both flat direct cost bases and compounding subtotal bases.
- Comprehensive validation engine that flags negative costs, zero quantities, and missing descriptions automatically.
SKILL.md
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