Estimator; High-End Residential Painting - Luxury Custom Homes

Estimator (High-End Residential Painting - Luxury Custom Homes)

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We are partnered with a top-tier residential painting contractor (non-union) specializing in luxury custom homes across the San Francisco Bay Area. For 25+ years, they’ve built a reputation for precision, discretion, and craftsmanship on some of the most demanding custom and high-end residential projects in the region.

We’re now entering a new growth phase, targeting ~50% year-over-year expansion, and we’re adding a High-End Residential Painting Estimator to help us scale while protecting our standards.

You will own the takeoff and estimating process for luxury residential painting projects, from bid invitation through handoff to production. You’ll work closely with ownership, project managers, and our clients’ GCs, architects, and designers to produce accurate, defensible estimates that reflect the realities of complex, high-end homes.

You’ll be mentored directly by a seasoned estimating leader who has been with the firm for 10+ years, with a clear path into senior estimating/preconstruction leadership as we grow.

• Perform detailed digital takeoffs from architectural drawings and specifications for luxury custom homes and large-scale repaints.
• Develop complete cost estimates, including labor, materials, production rates, equipment, and specialty finishes.
• Conduct site visits as needed to validate conditions, access, staging, and protection requirements.
• Collaborate with project managers to align scopes, phasing, and production assumptions.
• Prepare clear, client-ready proposals and bid forms for GCs, builders, designers, and homeowners.
• Analyze historical job costing to refine production rates and improve estimate accuracy over time.
• Maintain and continually improve our pricing databases, assemblies, and estimating standards.
• Participate in project handoff meetings to ensure field teams fully understand scope, assumptions and critical details.

• 3–7+ years of estimating experience in residential painting, GC, or related trades, ideally with exposure to luxury/custom homes.
• Strong blueprint reading and quantity takeoff skills.
• Solid understanding of residential painting scopes: interiors, exteriors, trim, doors, cabinets, specialty coatings, and surface prep.
• High attention to detail and pride in accuracy; you care about getting the numbers right.
• Proficiency with digital takeoff/estimating tools and Excel; experience with Bluebeam or similar is a plus.
• Professional communication skills and comfort working with GCs, architects, designers, and high-end clients.
• Based in (or willing to relocate to) the Bay Area, with a valid driver’s license for local site visits.

• Competitive base salary + significant performance-based bonus tied to accuracy, win rates, and project performance.
• Full benefits package (medical insurance, paid time off; 401k, etc.).
• Strong mentorship and growth path: direct coaching from executive team and a 10+ year estimating leader and clear progression into Senior Estimator / Preconstruction roles as the firm scales ~50% YOY.
• Stability of a 25+ year, top-reputation firm combined with the upside of an aggressive growth phase.
• Exposure to some of the most interesting and complex luxury residential projects in the Bay Area.

Apply via Linked In with your resume and a brief note outlining your estimating experience (especially on high-end residential or custom home projects). If you want to build a long-term estimating career in luxury residential work, with mentorship, real growth, and a firm that’s scaling fast, we’d like to talk.

Mid-Senior level

Full-time

Management and Manufacturing

Staffing and Recruiting