The Daily Dose #358 | $6 Billion in Building Estimates: What AI Still Can't Replace | Haydn, Price A Plan | Live from TPB

AI can help builders produce estimates faster than ever. But when your margins, cash flow and reputation are on the line, who's checking the numbers? Recorded live from the TPB Summit, Az sits down with Haydn, founder of Price A Plan, for a conversation about the future of construction estimating, the growing influence of AI and why experienced people still matter. Haydn didn't set out to build an estimating business. After an operation left him unable to return to the tools for nine months, he started helping other builders with their quotes. Eighteen years later, Price A Plan supports more than 500 builders annually, employs 32 people and has accumulated approximately $6 billion in project history. And while Haydn is investing heavily in AI, he's taking a different approach to businesses looking to replace people with technology. His view is that faster estimating actually creates a greater need for experienced eyes and proper quality control. In this episode, we get into: The risks of relying on AI-generated estimates without experienced oversight. Why getting your estimating right is about more than winning the job. How Price A Plan uses $6 billion in project history to support cost forecasting. The importance of qualifying clients before spending hours preparing detailed quotes. When builders should consider outsourcing their estimating. How AI can improve productivity without sacrificing accuracy or relationships. Why Haydn would spend his first $1,000 on improving his sales process rather than advertising. The surprising quality Haydn believes makes a genuinely good builder: empathy. There's plenty of honest conversation about AI, including the pressure to keep up, the risk of handing over too much control and the importance of remembering what actually makes a building business work. Because at the end of the day, technology might help you produce an estimate, but someone still needs to stand behind the numbers. Another great conversation from the TPB Summit, bringing together the people, ideas and experiences shaping the Australian residential building industry. Proudly sponsored by The PULSE from Australian Building Research. The PULSE helps builders track the customer experience throughout the build, identify issues early and act before they become bigger problems. Discover The PULSE and book a walkthrough: https://australianbuildingresearch.com.au/the-pulse-cep The Good Builder Podcast. Real talk. Real numbers. Real builders. #TheGoodBuilder #TPBSummit #PriceAPlan #AustralianBuilders #ConstructionEstimating #AIinConstruction #BuildingBusiness