Done-for-you estimating for GTA contractors — no software to learn, no estimator to hire
Per estimate C$200–350 · Retainers C$600–900/month · Priced by a working GTA contractor, not an offshore takeoff shop. Send the plans and scope — get back a bid-ready estimate and the client-facing quote document, in your name.
Proudly CanadianLocally owned & operated
New contractors: your first estimate is free or at a starter price — we confirm the exact price and turnaround before you pay anything.
Payment on delivery, by e-transfer — no net-30. No software subscription. No long contract.
Prepared under your company name · Your branding · Your markup rule
| Framing & bulkheads | $6,800 |
| Drywall, tape & paint-ready finish | $7,600 |
| 3-pc bathroom finish | $8,900 |
| + 6 more scope blocks, each one priced | $27,200 |
| Your markup — 15% | $7,575 |
| Client-ready bid total | $58,075 |
Delivered as an editable file plus this client-ready document.
You're on the tools all day. The quotes pile up at night — and every slow quote is a job someone else wins. Anvil Arrow takes the estimating off your plate: quantities, labour at GTA rates, materials, and a clean quote document your customer can sign.
Send the job in about five minutes. Get your evenings back — and get the bid out while the walkthrough is still fresh in the customer's mind.
Plans, photos, or voice notes from the walkthrough, through the intake form. That's the homework — there isn't more.
Exact price and delivery date confirmed before any work starts — and before you pay anything. No surprises.
Quantities, GTA supplier and labour pricing, your markup rules. One revision round, with your branding on the proposal.
A client-ready quote document you can edit — you sign your own bid. Payment on delivery, by e-transfer.
Full pricing on the Services & Pricing page.
The work your evenings go to pricing. Tap any picture to look closer — or jump straight to what a complete estimate for that job has to include.
Software shows you screenshots. We show you the actual work: a full worked sample estimate for an 800 sq ft basement finish in Mississauga — scope, quantities, line items, and the contractor's own markup applied.
| Sample line items — 800 sq ft basement finish | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Framing & bulkheads | $6,800 |
| Drywall, tape & paint-ready finish | $7,600 |
| 3-pc bathroom finish — shower, vanity, fixtures | $8,900 |
| Subtotal (9 scope blocks) | $50,500 |
| Contractor markup — 15%, the contractor's own rule | $7,575 |
| Client-ready bid total | $58,075 |
Illustrative sample in our delivery format — not a real client job. Your estimate is built on your rates and your markup.
Your evenings have a price. Put your own numbers in — no email needed to see the result.
Bars use the middle of each Anvil range. And the hours come back either way — evenings you can spend on site, with family, or winning the next job instead of pricing it at midnight.
Every job type has line items that quietly leak margin when they're missed. Pick yours — see what a complete estimate has to include.
Egress, fire separation, soundproofing — the lines inspectors and margins both depend on.
Allowances vs. actuals, plumbing moves, and the tile maths that eats a bathroom budget.
Footings, hardware counts, and waste factors on lumber that change by the week.
Multi-trade sequencing — where one missed trade stalls every trade after it.
Rebuild scope after water or fire loss, documented the way adjusters read it.
Also: For realtors — listing-ready pre-listing prep, quoted flat per listing and delivered by partner crews.
Interiors and renovations · legal basements · kitchens & bathrooms · restoration · painting · flooring · drywall. If your trade isn't listed, ask — the intake form has an "advise me" option.
Ever. Your job stays your job.
Your rates, your margins, your clients — never shared.
Anvil Arrow is estimate support only. We never bid a job we estimate, and we never share a client's numbers. You review and sign your own bid — your name goes on the quote, not ours.
Every engagement starts with the intake form. We confirm the exact price and turnaround before any work starts. Payment on delivery by e-transfer — no net-30.
No software subscription. No long contract. Pay per estimate, or save on a retainer. All prices CAD, +HST. What moves a single estimate inside its range: the size of the job, how many trades it touches, and whether you send plans or site notes and photos.
Ongoing estimating and quoting capacity for one contractor: an agreed monthly volume of estimates, priority turnaround, and rush handling for short-fuse bids.
Offered only after 2–3 delivered per-estimate jobs prove the fit — we don't sell retainers cold. Invoiced monthly, by e-transfer.
Start with a single estimateA complete, bid-ready estimate for a full project — a legal basement, a full renovation: quantities, labour at GTA rates, materials, and the client-facing quote document.
Send the projectKitchen, bathroom, or multi-trade scope — estimate plus the quote document, ready for your review and signature.
Send the jobOne trade, one scope — paint, flooring, drywall, interlock-style packages. Estimate plus quote document.
Send the jobNew here? Your first estimate is free or at a starter price so you can judge the work before paying full price. One per contractor — ask for it in the intake form's service question.
Claim the proof offerEstimate templates and pricing calculators distilled from real delivered work, sold through Gumroad. Built from jobs we've actually priced — released as they're ready, never ahead of client work.
Packs are released as they're ready — watch this space.
Estimating is half the paperwork. Anvil Office runs the other half — the calls, the follow-ups, the invoices, the reviews — as a monthly subscription.
A monthly subscription that runs your front office the way we run ours — under your business name, in front of your customers, while you're on the tools.
A missed call, 7:40 pm: the AI receptionist answers in your business name, asks what the job is and where, and books the estimate visit into your calendar. You get the summary by text — the lead never hears a voicemail greeting.
A lead that hasn't replied: "Hi Sarah, it's the office at [Your Company] — following up on the bathroom quote you asked about. Still happy to book a time to measure. Reply here or call us anytime." Sent again on a schedule until it's booked or closed.
An invoice at day 14: a polite reminder in your name — reminders and friendly follow-ups only, never pressure or threats.
Your phone rings while you're on a job. It goes unanswered — the way most leads quietly die.
The AI receptionist answers in your business name. No voicemail greeting, no missed opportunity.
It takes the details — what the job is, where, how big — and books the estimate visit straight into your calendar.
You get the summary by text — name, job, address, booked time — before you've even put your tools down.
No reply? It follows up by text and email on a schedule, until the job is booked or closed.
Pilot pricing is C$299–499 per month depending on call volume, set with you at intake and confirmed before anything starts. One module, one monthly bill — add it to your estimating or take it on its own.
Ask about the pilotOne coordinated program that takes a listing from occupied to photo-ready — quoted once, in writing, before any work starts.
A packaged program for realtors and sellers: one walkthrough, one written flat quote per listing within 24 hours, and one coordinated program of work that gets the home photo-ready. You get a single point of contact and a single quote — not a string of separate trades to chase.
The ten services below are listed highest demand first — the work realtors ask for most often leads the list.
Delivered by Fresh Edge crews: field work is delivered by the Fresh Edge crews — the contracting arm of the same corporation, Pioneers Allied Inc. (WSIB registered, $2M insured).
Book a Pre-Listing WalkthroughEver. Your job stays your job.
Your rates, your margins, your clients — never shared.
This is the deliverable, shown the way a contractor receives it: scope blocks, quantities, line-item labour and material, and the client-ready proposal total. Built for a recognisable GTA job — an 800 sq ft basement finish in Mississauga, with a 3-piece bathroom.
Make it yours: tap a scope block to take it out of the bid or put it back, and slide the markup to your own rule — the totals rebuild themselves, the same way your estimate will.
| Scope block | What it covers | Amount (CAD) | In the bid? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Framing & bulkheads | Walls, bulkheads around ductwork, door openings | $6,800 | |
| Electrical | Pot lights, receptacles, panel work, ESA inspection | $5,400 | |
| Plumbing | 3-pc bathroom rough-in and finish connections | $6,200 | |
| Insulation & vapour barrier | Exterior walls to code, sound insulation at ceiling | $3,100 | |
| Drywall, tape & finish | Board, tape, mud, sand — paint-ready | $7,600 | |
| Flooring | LVP supply & install — 800 sq ft @ $7.50/sq ft | $6,000 | |
| 3-pc bathroom finish | Shower, vanity, toilet, fixtures, tile surround | $8,900 | |
| Doors, trim & paint | Interior doors, baseboards, two-coat paint throughout | $4,700 | |
| Permits & inspections | Building permit and inspection allowance | $1,800 | |
| Subtotal — labour & material | $50,500 | ||
| Contractor markup — 15% (your rule, applied as instructed) | $7,575 | ||
| Client-ready bid total (before HST) | $58,075 | ||
Illustrative sample — not a real client job, and not a quote for your project. It exists to show the format: every line priced, markup shown openly as the contractor's own rule, and a proposal total a homeowner can sign. Your estimate arrives the same way — editable Excel plus the client-ready quote document, under your business name, built on your rates.
What you send us for a job like this: the floor plan or your measurements, a few walkthrough photos or voice notes, and your markup rule. About five minutes of your time — we handle the counting, the pricing, and the document.
Your first estimate is free or at a starter price, and we confirm the exact price and turnaround before you pay anything.
Get My First EstimateA good estimate is not a guess with a total — it is every line the job will actually consume. Here is what we make sure is in yours, job type by job type, including the lines contractors most often miss.
What a complete estimate includes: framing and bulkheads, egress window work, fire separation and soundproofing, electrical with ESA, plumbing rough-in, insulation to code, drywall, flooring, and permit fees.
Commonly missed — the margin leaks:
What a complete estimate includes: demo and disposal, plumbing and electrical moves, cabinetry and counters at the client's actual selection level, tile with proper waterproofing, fixtures, and finishing.
Commonly missed — the margin leaks:
What a complete estimate includes: footings below frost line, framing hardware, decking with waste factor, railing by the linear foot, stairs, and gate hardware.
Commonly missed — the margin leaks:
What a complete estimate includes: every trade sequenced in build order, with labour, material, permits, and the client-facing quote document broken into signable stages.
Commonly missed — the margin leaks:
What a complete estimate includes: rebuild scope after water, fire, or storm loss — like-for-like materials documented line by line, the way adjusters and restoration partners read it.
Commonly missed — the margin leaks:
The honest comparison. Software still leaves the estimating on your desk — and a subscription running whether you bid or not. A hire costs the most and still needs managing. Anvil Arrow does the work per job, in CAD.
| Option | Published price | Who does the estimating? |
|---|---|---|
| Anvil Arrow (done-for-you) | C$200–350 per estimate · retainer C$600–900/mo · CAD, +HST | We do — you send the job (≈5 min) and review the result |
| Tyler Estimating (done-for-you, US) | Averaging $200 per estimate as published; small projects from ~$130, complex $500+; monthly packages from $1,500 | They do — the closest model to ours, priced and published the same bold way |
| Handoff (software) | Flex $119/mo billed annually ($149 monthly) per third-party summaries of its pricing page | You do — inside their software |
| Bolster (software) | Core $155 USD/mo billed annually ($167 CAD shown on its Canadian pricing page); Pro $399 USD | You do — inside their software |
| Buildxact (software) | Foundation $199/mo, Pro $399, Master $599 monthly per third-party summaries of its pricing pages | You do — inside their software |
| Contractor Foreman (software) | Starts at $49/mo — the price is in its own page title | You do — inside their software |
| Joist (software) | 14-day free trial, no credit card; paid price not shown on its homepage | You do — inside their app |
| Hiring an estimator | A salary, loaded — the most expensive option here, before training and downtime | They do — when they are not sick, on holiday, or quitting |
Competitor prices as published on — or summarised from — each company's own site, checked 2026-11-14 for our competitor study: Tyler Estimating · Handoff · Bolster · Buildxact · Contractor Foreman · Joist. Software prices change and some tiers above come from third-party summaries of pricing pages — verify on the source site before relying on them. Currency as labelled; where a source did not label it, we have not assumed it. We don't claim software is inaccurate — we claim it leaves the work with you.
Fair questions — the kind we'd ask before handing our numbers to anyone.
Only Anvil Arrow, and only to build your estimate. Your rates, margins, and clients are never shared — and we never bid a job we estimate. Both promises are in writing on this site and in every engagement.
Yes. You receive an editable file plus the client-ready quote document. Change any rate or line before it goes out — your sign-off on rates and assumptions is recorded before delivery is final.
An editable estimate (Excel) and a clean, client-facing quote document under your business name, ready to send.
Honestly: you do. The bid that goes out carries your name and your signature, which is why you review the estimate first and why we confirm your rates and assumptions before delivery. We sell careful, locally-priced estimating support — not a transfer of your bidding risk.
Confirmed per job at intake, before work starts — we sell accuracy and local GTA rates, not raw speed. Rush options (about 48 hours, about 24 hours) are in the intake form when a bid deadline demands them.
One project, one scope: a single-trade job at C$200–250, a remodel or multi-trade scope at C$300, a full project at C$350. The exact price inside the range is confirmed at intake — size, number of trades, and plans vs. site notes are what move it.
Retainers (C$600–900/month) are offered only after 2–3 delivered per-estimate jobs prove the fit, with an agreed monthly volume and priority turnaround. There is no long contract — it's a monthly arrangement, invoiced by e-transfer.
You can — the comparison above lists the main options and their published prices. Software still leaves the measuring, pricing, and document-building on your desk, and bills you in months you don't bid. Anvil Arrow removes the work itself, per job, in CAD.
Free or at a starter price for new contractors — one per contractor — so you can judge the work before paying full price. Ask for the proof offer in the intake form. Either way, we confirm the exact price and turnaround before you pay anything.
See exactly what lands in your inbox before you send us a real job.
Get My First Estimate
Anvil Arrow Estimating is the estimating arm of a working GTA contracting business (Pioneers Allied Inc., Mississauga). The estimates aren't produced by an offshore takeoff shop working from rate books for another continent — they're priced by people who buy material at GTA suppliers and put crews on GTA jobs: legal basements, kitchens, bathrooms, interiors and renovations.
That's the whole difference. A takeoff can count quantities. A contractor knows what the job actually takes — the labour, the sequencing, the things that go wrong — and prices accordingly.
Who it's for: GTA contractors in interiors/renovations, legal basements, kitchens & bathrooms, restoration, painting, flooring and drywall who are losing evenings — or losing jobs — to quoting backlog.
The intake form is the front door. Tell us about the job, send any plans or photos, and we confirm price and turnaround before starting.
The form asks for: business name · your name · email & mobile · your main trades · what you need (full-project $350 / remodel $300 / single-trade $200–250 / first-estimate proof offer / retainer / not sure — advise me) · project city · project description · plans/photos link · when you need it back (standard / rush ~48 hrs / rush ~24 hrs).
Phone
437-988-3777
Mississauga, ON — serving contractors across the GTA
anvilarrow.com
We never bid a job we estimate, and your numbers stay confidential.
Payment is on delivery by e-transfer — no net-30.