The fastest way to lose money on a job isn't a bad price — it's a forgotten line item. Here are the seven that bite builders most, and how to make AI catch them before the bid goes out.
The line items builders forget most are: permits & fees, temporary power and facilities, site protection and dust control, dumpsters and debris removal, supervision and PM time, final cleaning, and a contingency for the unknown. Paste your draft estimate into AI and ask it to check against this list before every bid.
The seven usual suspects
- Permits & fees. Easy to assume, easy to under-budget.
- Temporary power & facilities. Temp electric, water, and the porta-john nobody line-itemed.
- Site protection & dust control. Floor protection and containment on occupied remodels.
- Dumpsters & debris removal. Multiple hauls on a gut job add up fast.
- Supervision & PM time. Your time running the job is a real cost — price it.
- Final cleaning. The detail clean before handoff that always lands unpriced.
- Contingency. Rock at footing depth, hidden rot, surprise wiring.
Why these get missed
None of them are the “real” work, so they slip past when you're pricing fast at 9pm. They also don't show up on a plan — they live in experience. That's exactly the completeness check AI is good at.
The prompt that catches them
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