Start with an idea and a number
Almost no project starts with drawings and line items: it starts with an idea and a number in someone's head. The idea stage is the screen for that moment. You say what you want to build, how many square meters, at what finish level and how much you have in mind, and a market reference with a range answers the only question that matters today: can I afford it? It's a parametric reference, not a budget — and that's exactly how it's presented, always as a range.
- It's the route for anyone with no drawings and no line items: four inputs and a live answer.
- The figure is a market reference cost per m² for your area, shown as a ±18% range. It isn't a budget and it isn't a quote.
- The verdict has three outcomes: you have headroom, you're right at the edge, or the number covers fewer square meters (or a lower finish level).
- When you create it, the project is born in idea stage with its packages seeded at the reference, and you land in Work packages.
- Your number becomes the project budget and the line items add up to the reference: that gap is exactly what you have to close by getting prices.
- Every real price you request by link from a contractor replaces an assumption: the idea matures into a budget without switching tools.
- It's 100% deterministic: it uses no AI and burns no credits.
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Come in through the idea stage
In Projects tap “New project”. The first option, above the templates, is “Start with your idea”. That's the route for when you still have no drawings, no line items and not a single quote.
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Say what, how many meters and at what level
Pick the project type (house, building, remodel, warehouse or retail space, land development, or production housing), enter the square meters and the finish level: economy, mid-range or high-end. Watch out with land development: there the meters are of developed land, not of built area, and the cost scale is a completely different one. The screen spells that out when you switch type.
- 3
Put in your number
Under “The number in your head”, enter your available budget, or simply the figure you're carrying around. It doesn't have to be backed by anything: the reference is compared against that number, and that tension is the whole idea stage.
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Read the verdict
As soon as there are square meters, the market reference appears as a range, with its cost per m². If your number clears the high end of the reference, it's enough and you have headroom. If it falls inside the range, you're right at the edge: the real prices from your contractors will decide which side you land on. If it sits below the range, it tells you how many square meters the number would cover at that type and level, and it offers the other way out: drop one finish level and keep the meters. Neither one is a promise; it's arithmetic against the reference.
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See how the build would break down
Below the verdict is the breakdown: site prep, foundation, structural shell, electrical and plumbing, finishes and the rest, each line item with its percentage and its amount against the central reference. It's good for two things: giving you the shape of the spending before you have a single drawing, and spotting early what's going to weigh more on you than the average.
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Create the project in idea stage
When you create it, the project is born flagged as idea stage: your number becomes the project budget and the line items are seeded as lump sums at the parametric reference. You land straight in Work packages, which is where the next few days of work live. Everything is editable: you can change amounts, add line items, or open them up later into concepts and unit prices from Budgets.
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Swap assumptions for real prices
In Work packages, every line item has the option to request a price by link: you describe the scope, set a deadline and generate a link you send the contractor over WhatsApp or email. They quote from there without creating an account. Each package climbs a level of certainty as information comes in: Estimated (your assumption from the reference), Quoted (there's a real price now; the lowest one is used) and Committed (it's been awarded and there's a contract). The project total tells you what percentage is already committed, which is the honest measure of how trustworthy your number is.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a budget?
No, and we don't sell it as one. It's a starting point: a parametric reference that tells you the size of the problem before the first call to a contractor. A budget has line items, quantities and prices you can defend one by one; this is a market range multiplied by your square meters. It's for deciding whether to keep going, not for signing anything.
Where does the number come from, and what does it include?
From a table of direct construction cost references per m², by project type and finish level, for your market. Land isn't included: if you're promoting a development, that cost is entered separately in Developments. It's a fixed, deterministic table, not an AI model, and it consumes no credits.
Why show a range instead of an exact number?
Because an exact number would be false precision. Real cost moves with the region, with the supplier and with the moment you buy, and that spread runs on the order of ±18% around the reference. Showing you a single figure with two decimals would make you trust something that doesn't exist yet. That's why the verdict compares your number against the whole range, not against the midpoint.
What exactly does “right at the edge” mean?
That your number falls inside the reference range: with the information available today, it neither clears nor falls short. It's the most common case and the most honest one to read: it means this isn't decided here, it's decided with the first two or three real prices you get.
If it isn't enough, what's the next step?
The screen gives you the two arithmetic levers: fewer meters at the same level, or the same meters one finish level down. In practice there's a third one it can't calculate for you: go get prices. Create the project anyway and request prices by link from your contractors; it's common for the market reference and the real price in your region not to match.
Can I change everything later?
Yes. The project is born as a normal one, just flagged as idea stage. The seeded line items are lump sums you can edit, delete or open up into concepts with their unit prices and matrices. Nothing you entered here locks you in.
Do I need drawings to use this?
No. That's precisely the point: the idea stage exists for the moment before the drawings. If you already have them, you're better off coming in through “new project from a drawing” or through a template, because there you can enter real quantities.