Bids came in over budget.
Now the redesign is on you.
Know the number before the bidders do. An estimate at each design phase keeps the project inside the owner's budget while there's still time to adjust the design.
I price your drawings and specs the way a Hawaii contractor will, with local labor, shipping, and island conditions built in.
Cost estimating for Hawaii architects and mainland firms with Hawaii projects.
24+ YEARS
ARCHITECTURE, SPECIFICATIONS, AND ESTIMATING.
$2 BILLION
HAWAII AND PACIFIC CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATES PRICED.
CLIENTS I'VE WORKED WITH:
INK ARCHITECTS • AM PARTNERS • BKF & ASSOCIATES • ARCAT
WHO'S PRICING YOUR PROJECT
Vinson Hiraoka
AIA, CSI, CCP
Aloha! I've been the architect who designed the project, the estimator who priced it, and the specifier who writes it into the construction documents. That's why I read your drawings and specs the way a bidder will.
I'm one of only a few AACE International Certified Cost Professionals (CCP) in Hawaii. I have estimated $2 billion in Hawaii and Pacific construction, on projects from $100K to $100M. I know what work actually costs here, island by island.
Every estimate is done by me personally, as part of your design team. Principal level. No juniors, no handoffs.
WHY BUDGETS BREAK AT BID
The real number
shows up last.
Most projects don't get a real price until bid day. By then the design is done, and the only way back to budget is redesign.
That redesign is rarely in your fee. The schedule slips, the owner starts asking what went wrong, and in a market this small, owners remember.
Rules of Thumb Run Out
Cost per square foot from the last project is a reasonable place to start. It stops working once the design gets specific: a different roof system, a longer span, a higher-end finish.
By design development, the budget needs real quantities and real unit prices, not last year's average.
Hawaii Prices Differently
Shipping, island labor, a small pool of bidders, neighbor island premiums, and general excise tax all move the number. National cost data averages most of it away. Hawaii pricing comes from working here, not from a database.
The Specs Don't Get Priced
Early estimates are usually priced before the specs are written. But a lot of the cost lives in the project manual: specified products, warranties, testing, mockups, and allowances. When the specs come late, the bidders find that cost for you.
A Number With No Basis
A lump sum with no assumptions behind it is hard to defend in front of the owner. When it comes in high, it doesn't show where to cut. When the bids come in with a wide spread, nobody can say why. Without written assumptions, it's just an opinion.
A SOLUTION FOR YOUR COST ESTIMATING PROBLEMS
Estimates you can understand and defend.
From concept to bid.
Conceptual and Schematic Estimates
An early budget by building system, so you and the owner know whether the program fits the money before the design gets detailed.
Design Development Estimates
Quantities and unit prices once systems and materials are chosen. This is where design decisions still cost little to change, and where the estimate does the most good.
Construction Document Estimates
Detailed takeoff estimates at your CD milestones, so the final number before bid reflects the documents the contractors will actually price.
Bid Review
An independent check of the bids against the documents. When a bid is far from the estimate, you'll know where the difference is and what to ask about.
Change Order Review
A second look at change order pricing during construction, so you can recommend approval or push back with numbers behind you.
Hawaii Pricing, Built In
I price with current Hawaii labor, material, and shipping costs, island by island, and carry escalation to your bid date. The number reflects what your project will cost to build here when it bids.
Price Includes the Specs
I write specifications, so I price what the project manual will require, even before it's written. If a spec section will push the price up, you'll hear about it with the estimate.
Written Basis of Estimate
Every assumption, exclusion, allowance, and markup spelled out, so nobody has to guess what the number includes.
Estimate Report in PDF
A clear, formatted estimate organized by building system or trade, ready to include in your design submittal to the owner.
Review Meeting
We go through the numbers with your team, in person or online. If the estimate is over budget, we talk through where the money is and what could change.
THE SPESIFY STANDARD
Every estimate shows its work: what's included, what's not, and why. No unexplained lump sums and no padding to make the number look safe. If something in the estimate isn't clear, I'll walk you through it until it is. If I miss something in the documents, I'll revise the estimate at no charge. This is the standard every estimate is held to.
Easy to work with.
Accountability and Trust
Your success is my success. I take accountability for my performance seriously. Trust is earned every single day, not assumed at the start.
Relationships With Aloha
I know what local relationships, culture, and communication are worth here. Respect, responsibility, and humility are core beliefs, not a tagline.
No Aggravation Policy
Working together should be a positive experience on both sides. You get straight answers, quick responses, and no chasing me for things you already asked for.
QUESTIONS FIRMS ASK ME
Fair questions. Here are straight answers.
"We use cost per square foot from past projects."
That works early, and it's how a conceptual estimate starts. It stops working once the design gets specific.
Two buildings with the same square footage can price very differently because of the structure, the envelope, the site, or one long-lead product. A takeoff estimate catches those differences while you can still design around them.
"Our consultant fees are already tight."
Fair. So is the redesign fee you don't get paid when bids come in over budget.
Many owners expect a cost estimate in the design contract, and it can be carried as its own line in your fee proposal. Bring me in when you're putting the team together, and the estimate is covered from the start.
"Why not just ask a contractor for a price?"
You can, and contractor input is useful. But a contractor's number before bid is a sales tool, and it may be optimistic or padded depending on how badly they want the job.
An independent estimate works for you and the owner. It's built from the documents, with the assumptions written down, so you can compare it to the bids line by line.
"We're on the mainland. How does this work?"
The same way it works for local firms. You send the drawings and specs, I send back the estimate and the basis of estimate. We review it together in an online meeting.
You get Hawaii pricing on your project without opening a local office.
GETTING STARTED IS EASY
Three simple steps to an estimate you can count on.
STEP 1
Contact Spesify.
Reach out to me using the web form below, email, phone call, or direct messaging on LinkedIn.
I'll respond to you within one business day or less.
STEP 2
Let's Get Acquainted.
I'll schedule a discovery meeting with you either in-person or online. Let's get to know each other, go over your company profile, project needs, and make sure Spesify is the right fit.
STEP 3
Send Your Project.
When your project is starting, send me the info for review, and I'll prepare a fee proposal. Once it's signed, I go to work. You'll get a schedule, regular coordination as the drawings develop, and your estimate delivered on time.