Every figure UpVal prints comes out of one engine. It measures what it can, prices the work against sourced local rates, and says how much of the answer it actually measured.
BRUCE does not hold one price for tiling. He holds a band for tiling, in your council, for this month, derived from named public sources.
Every rate the model proposes is checked against the sourced band for that trade in that council. If it falls outside, the band wins. The number is replaced.
Every month is kept rather than overwritten, so any report can be rerun against the rates of its day.
BRUCE does not hold one price for tiling. He holds a band for tiling, in your council, for this month, derived from named public sources.
Every rate the model proposes is checked against the sourced band for that trade in that council. If it falls outside, the band wins. The number is replaced.
Every month is kept rather than overwritten, so any report can be rerun against the rates of its day.
Cost tells you what you will spend. Uplift tells you what the market is likely to return for it, at this address, at this level of finish. BRUCE models both, because the decision is the difference.
A kitchen replaced two years ago is not the same starting point as one from the 1960s. BRUCE checks whether each image still represents the property, and the report names the ones he trusted.
The uplift model is capped by what the controls at your address permit. What you may build governs what it can be worth, so both are answered together.
Cost$225.3k – $245.8k
Measured quantities, benchmarked rates for September 2026, GST inclusive.Uplift$353k – $401k
Modelled from local sales, from the house as it is, capped by the controls at the address.Net position$107.2k – $175.7k
Worth low less cost high, to worth high less cost low.Multiplier1.6×
Midpoint of worth over midpoint of cost.
Cost tells you what you will spend. Uplift tells you what the market is likely to return for it, at this address, at this level of finish. BRUCE models both, because the decision is the difference.
Cost$225.3k – $245.8k
Measured quantities, benchmarked rates for September 2026, GST inclusive.Uplift$353k – $401k
Modelled from local sales, from the house as it is, capped by the controls at the address.Net position$107.2k – $175.7k
Worth low less cost high, to worth high less cost low.Multiplier1.6×
Midpoint of worth over midpoint of cost.A kitchen replaced two years ago is not the same starting point as one from the 1960s. BRUCE checks whether each image still represents the property, and the report names the ones he trusted.
The uplift model is capped by what the controls at your address permit. What you may build governs what it can be worth, so both are answered together.
The difference between an estimate and a takeoff is measurement. BRUCE reads the document set and prices against quantities he derived, not quantities he assumed.
Anything that could not be measured is labelled and carries an allowance instead.
Every sum, cap and total is computed the same way, in the same order, every time. Two runs of the same project produce the same number.
Provisional sums sit beneath the headline with their trigger. They are never folded in.
| Ref | Item | Qty | Basis | Sheet | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | Wall and floor tiling, wet areas | 31 m² | measured | A-201 | $6.8k – $11.4k |
| 14.1 | Waterproofing, floor and upstands | 9 m² | measured | A-201 | $1.2k – $2.0k |
| 10.11 | Hang doors | 6 each | measured | A-101 | $1.8k – $3.2k |
| 12.1 | Wall sheeting | 62 m² | derived | A-101 | $2.4k – $3.9k |
| 21.1 | Patch, prepare, paint | 62 m² | derived | A-101 | $2.6k – $3.8k |
The difference between an estimate and a takeoff is measurement. BRUCE reads the document set and prices against quantities he derived, not quantities he assumed.
Anything that could not be measured is labelled and carries an allowance instead.
| Ref | Item | Qty | Basis | Sheet | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | Wall and floor tiling, wet areas | 31 m² | measured | A-201 | $6.8k – $11.4k |
| 14.1 | Waterproofing, floor and upstands | 9 m² | measured | A-201 | $1.2k – $2.0k |
| 10.11 | Hang doors | 6 each | measured | A-101 | $1.8k – $3.2k |
| 12.1 | Wall sheeting | 62 m² | derived | A-101 | $2.4k – $3.9k |
| 21.1 | Patch, prepare, paint | 62 m² | derived | A-101 | $2.6k – $3.8k |
Every sum, cap and total is computed the same way, in the same order, every time. Two runs of the same project produce the same number.
Provisional sums sit beneath the headline with their trigger. They are never folded in.
A layer of fixed checks sits between what the model proposes and what the report prints. Each one was written after a specific failure, and records the failure it exists to prevent.
A budget alone returns a wide range. Add ideas and photos and it narrows. Add your documents and it narrows again. Every report states how much was measured, every time.
A library built from public sources is where the band starts. A builder's quote for that work, at that address, that month, is what moves it. Each one is an observation.
Quotes you accept tune the estimates on your own account, and the line says when it was priced from your accepted work.
Price what is there.
Reject what cannot be true.
Never manufacture what is missing.
| What you bring | Measured | Measured · assumed | Range | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A budget | 18% | $180k – $300k | Low | |
| + ideas and photos | 46% | $205k – $265k | Medium | |
| + your documents | 72% | $225.3k – $245.8k | High |
A layer of fixed checks sits between what the model proposes and what the report prints. Each one was written after a specific failure, and records the failure it exists to prevent.
Price what is there.
Reject what cannot be true.
Never manufacture what is missing.
A budget alone returns a wide range. Add ideas and photos and it narrows. Add your documents and it narrows again. Every report states how much was measured, every time.
| What you bring | Measured | Measured · assumed | Range | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A budget | 18% | $180k – $300k | Low | |
| + ideas and photos | 46% | $205k – $265k | Medium | |
| + your documents | 72% | $225.3k – $245.8k | High |
A library built from public sources is where the band starts. A builder's quote for that work, at that address, that month, is what moves it. Each one is an observation.
Quotes you accept tune the estimates on your own account, and the line says when it was priced from your accepted work.
Takeoff, rate bands, arithmetic and provisional sums, with the working printed beside every figure.
A first pass, not an approval. Councils, certifiers and planners decide what gets built, and builders price the work. BRUCE makes sure everyone starts from the same measured scope.